Overview

• EUDA data show drug-related deaths climbed to 7,500 in 2023 from 7,100 in 2022, driven primarily by potent synthetic opioids taken alongside other substances
• Since 2009, 88 new synthetic opioids—including fentanyl analogs and nitazenes—have appeared on European markets, sharply increasing overdose risks
• EU law enforcement seized a record 419 tonnes of cocaine in 2023, marking a seventh straight year of rising intercepts
• Authorities shut down 53 synthetic drug production sites last year—most in Poland—reflecting growing domestic manufacture of amphetamines, MDMA and cathinones
• Some cannabis products have been adulterated with synthetic cannabinoids, leading to severe poisonings and heightening public health alarms