by Health Editor
Researchers from the Mario Negri Institute have detected the consumption of drugs through the analysis of waste water. On average, 51 doses of cannabis are consumed per day per thousand inhabitants, 11 of cocaine, 3 of heroin
Cannabis and its derivatives, cocaine and heroin: they are among the most consumed drugs by the Italian population based on data from a recent study conducted in the two-year period 2020-2022 by the Institute for Pharmacological Research Mario Negri Irccs of Milan with the «Waste water» project, financed and supported by the Department for anti-drug policies of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
The results of the study
The measurement of the consumption of drugs in the Italian population was carried out through the “epidemiology of waste water”, a method developed by the Negri Institute in 2005, which analyzes the metabolic residues (human waste products) of drugs in the waters urban waste arriving at the purifiers and makes it possible to estimate which and how many substances are consumed overall by the entire population belonging to the purifiers being monitored.
Well, according to the study by the Mario Negri Institute, the most consumed substances are confirmed as cannabis and its derivatives, with an average national consumption of 51 doses per day per thousand inhabitants, followed by cocaine (about 11 doses per thousand inhabitants) and heroin (about 3 doses). Lower consumption (equal to or less than 0.1 doses per day per thousand population) was observed for methamphetamine, ecstasy and amphetamine which resulted .
Great variability in consumption between cities
In general, the researchers found a considerable variability in consumption between cities, for example, cannabis is consumed to a greater extent – 100 doses per day per thousand inhabitants – in Nuoro, Bologna, Fidenza, Cagliari, Trento and Trieste. As for the consumption of cocaine, the highest values are observed – greater than 20 doses per day for every thousand inhabitants – in breaking latest news, Montichiari, Venice, Fidenza, Rome, Bologna, Merano, while the lowest consumption – between 1 and 4 doses per day per 1,000 inhabitants – are found in Belluno and Palermo.
In 2021, cannabis and cocaine consumption grew compared to the previous year, while the use of ecstasy increased in the second half of 2021 compared to spring 2021 and 2020. These variations probably occurred due to the resumption of numerous activities recreational activities compared to the period of restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic which characterized autumn 2020.
The “Wastewater” project
Sara Castiglioni, head of the Mario Negri Institute’s environmental epidemiological indicators laboratory explains: «The “Acque wastewater” project developed a national survey network which included a total of 33 urban centers equally distributed in the 20 Italian regions. The wastewater methodology – continues Castiglioni – has attracted great international interest both at a scientific level and from professionals; today it is applied on an annual basis in Europa to evaluate the trends in the consumption of the main drugs. Thanks to the Anti-Drug Policy Department we were able to apply this methodology, for the first time, also in Italy at a national level since 2010».
Other psychoactive substances in the waters
The analysis of waste water has also made it possible to detect the consumption of new psychoactive substances, albeit at much lower levels than “classic” drugs. The study highlighted the presence of synthetic cathinones, central nervous system stimulants capable of mimicking the effects of cocaine, amphetamine or MDMA. No synthetic fentanyl was detected in the wastewater, where only fentanyl (which also has a pharmacological use) and its metabolite norfentanil were measured. The study shows that synthetic fentanyls (opiate drugs derived from morphine, particularly dangerous ed) are probably used to a very limited extent and occasionally in our country, unlike what has been observed in the United States in recent years.
August 2, 2023 (change August 2, 2023 | 2:32 pm)
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