EMCDDA INSIGHTS An overview of cannabis potency in Europe Prepared by Leslie A. King EMCDDA project group Chloé Carpentier Paul Griffiths 6 Legal notice This publication of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is protected by copyright. The EMCDDA accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of the data contained in this document. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of the EMCDDA’s partners, any EU Member State or any agency or institution of the European Union or European Communities. A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet. It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu.int). Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union New freephone number: 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2004 ISBN 92-9168-184-9 © European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2004 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Printed in Belgium PRINTED ON WHITE CHLORINE-FREE PAPER Rua da Cruz de Santa Apolónia, 23-25, 1149-045 Lisbon, Portugal Tel. (351) 218 11 30 00 • Fax (351) 218 13 17 11
[email protected] • http://www.emcdda.eu.int Contents Foreword 5 Acknowledgements 7 Preface 9 Executive summary 13 Chapter 1: Introduction 17 Chapter 2: Analytical aspects 23 Chapter 3: Trends in cannabis potency in Europe 29 Chapter 4: The cannabis market in Europe: potency considerations 43 Chapter 5: Trends in cannabis potency in other countries 51 Chapter 6: Identification of information gaps, priorities for future research and recommendations 55 Glossary 61 References 65 Contact details 71 Foreword Cannabis is the illegal substance most commonly used in all countries of the European Union, with many countries reporting lifetime experience of the drug by more than 20 % of the general population.