Europe's Cannabis Market, Worth $12.4B, Is A Magnet For Organized Crime, New EMCDDA And Europol Report Reveals

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) released a new analysis Thursday on the European drug market, with a focus on cannabis. Among many highlights, the report concludes that marijuana products are becoming increasingly potent and diverse, while partnerships between criminal organizations are bringing new security risks in Europe. 

“Cannabis continues to divide public opinion and remains the subject of European and international debate,” EMCDDA director Alexis Goosdeel stated. “Today’s analysis looks at the elements needed to support evidence-based policymaking and preparedness in this complex domain, where the scope of cannabis policies is widening and where products are becoming increasingly potent and diverse. Our new findings come at a time when decision-makers must address a vast array of challenges posed by Europe's largest illicit drug market, from the heavy carbon footprint left by cannabis cultivation to health harms, corruption, and violence on our streets.”

Key Takeaways 

• The marijuana market is the largest illicit substance market in Europe, projected to be worth at least €11.4 billion ($12.4 billion).
• Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit substance in Europe. Estimates reveal some 22.6 million adults in the EU aged 15-64 years have used marijuana in the last year.
• In 2021, seized cannabis and cannabis resin in the EU reached record levels in a decade – 256 tons and 816 tons, respectively.
• The Western Balkan region is one of the main sources of most of the marijuana found in the EU, though some marijuana products are now being smuggled from North America. 
• Morocco is still the biggest supplier of cannabis resin in Europe. 
• Between 2011 and 2021 the average potency of cannabis and cannabis resin increased by around 57% and 200%, respectively. 
• Cannabis herb and resin still dominate the market, but marijuana products in Europe are increasingly diverse, relying on a range of natural, semi-synthetic and synthetic cannabinoids available in many different forms. “Some of these products pose a high risk to users’ health due to their potency, often exceeding 90 % delta-9-THC.“ 
• The carbon footprint of indoor cannabis cultivation is estimated to be 16 to 100 times higher than outdoor cultivation. 
• The European drug market is highly attractive for serious and organized crime. 
• Cannabis policy shifts happening over the last couple of years in Europe, across Switzerland, Czechia, Germany, Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands highlight the need to invest in monitoring and evaluation to fully understand their impact on public health and safety.

“Cocaine seizures might be grabbing the headlines, but trafficking of cannabis is just as important a threat,” Europol’s executive director Catherine De Bolle said in a statement. “The cannabis trade yields a staggering EUR 11.4 billion annually, which is still a minimum estimated value of the market. In addition to the impact on public health, the substantial illegal proceeds criminal networks obtain from trafficking cannabis fuel dire consequences — criminals increasingly veer into extreme violence to further their criminal goals and use these proceeds to fund other criminal activities and infiltrate economies and societies. This is just one of the reasons why our fight against criminal networks involved in cannabis trafficking should go hand in hand with efforts to mitigate the associated societal harms.”

Photo: Courtesy of CRYSTALWEED cannabis via Unsplash