SCORE group, an EU-wide network of sewage analysts, and the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) found in its most extensive survey that recreational drug use in Europe was on the rise.
The largest-ever European wastewater analysis project found an increase in MDMA, cocaine, and amphetamine use in 128 cities across 26 different countries.
The study found that recreational drug use has been on the rise since 2016, after the five previous years showed there was no increase. The study also found that while Amphetamines grew in popularity, cannabis use was in decline.
In Israel, wastewater analysis is not used to determine the extent of drug use but is used to identify illnesses such as polio. Health officials warn that the use of recreational drugs is prevalent and becoming more so.
"Over the years, there has been widespread use of drugs such as cocaine," said Keren Goldman, head of addiction at the Leumit Healthcare provider. "In recent years, we've seen a rise in synthetic drugs such as 4-MMC that are highly addictive and have significant health risks. Ketamine is also very popular in the LGBTQ+ community as a party drug.
Dr. Shahar Robinson, head of mental health in the southern division of Maccabi HMO, said there are worrying indications from hospitals, clinics and the police that primarily young Israelis are using more drugs. "Israel cannot be disconnected from world trends and a discreet and intelligent analysis of the situation is required."
Dr. Liora Schechter, an expert in pain treatment who established clinics to treat addictions, said recreational drugs are more popular among the wealthy because of their cost.
"Amphetamine use is not to be ignored," said Dr. Roy Zucker, Chairman of the Israeli LGBTQ+ health society. "A recent study of the Israeli Center for Addiction found that one in four Israelis is dealing with some sort of addiction, be it to drugs, alcohol or prescription medicine."
He said more than 40% of the gay community reported that they used drugs more. 30% said they were using drugs in situations that did not include drug use in the past and 27% said they were using new drugs that they had not encountered before.
Sucker said 58% tied their use of drugs to their emotional state and 21% said that since the start of the war, they had felt that their use of drugs was out of control. "What we must pay attention to is that this manifests in men and women alike and is not a matter of gender but of a profound human condition in dealing with a difficult reality."
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He warned that prolonged use of cocaine and MDMA can have grave health consequences because they are mind-altering drugs that can manifest in headaches, blurred vision, confusion, disruption in the perception of reality, hallucinations, night terror, paranoia and psychotic attacks.
We know that telling people to' just say no,' does not work so we are emphasizing mitigating the damage by providing credible information, talking openly and creating safe spaces where drug use can be discussed. We know this is a more effective way to deal with the problem.