European drugs trade goes digital in response to pandemic impact - report

The annual report is compiled by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and charts developments in the EU 27 countries and in Turkey and Norway. File Picture: PA

The European drugs trade has gone digital to adjust to the impact of the covid-19 pandemic, by moving away from human couriers and increasing the use of encrypted messaging and mail and home delivery services, according to a major new report.

The authors of the European Drug Report 2021 also raise serious concerns over the emergence of 'designer benzodiazepines' across the continent, amid fears that their use, along with other drugs such as opioids, could lead to major public health problems.