When it came to cocaine, Vienna was well behind cities such as Brussels, Zurich, Barcelona and also below the values for Prague and Berlin. In terms of THC, Vienna had higher concentrations than were found in Kraków or Milan, but in some cases significantly lower than in Zagreb, Lisbon or Amsterdam. The values measured for amphetamine were significantly higher in Brussels, Berlin, Prague and Zurich, while the values in Barcelona were below those in Vienna.
Lots of cocaine in Kufstein
Incidentally, the highest per capita consumption of cocaine was in Kufstein, the second largest city in Tyrol. The highest per capita consumption of speed, i.e. amphetamines and methamphetamine, known as crystal meth, was found in the federal capital Vienna and in Wiener Neustadt in Lower Austria. This “West-East distribution” of stimulants and synthetic drugs is not an Austrian peculiarity, but is reflected in Europe, it was emphasized.
3.5 million people “examined”
Fluctuations are also taken into account in the study, because – not surprisingly – there are more residues of party drugs such as cocaine and MDMA in the wastewater at the weekend than during the week. On the other hand, people smoke weed all week long. The residues of the other three drugs are spread more evenly over the week. The study allows conclusions to be drawn about the drug consumption of 3.5 million people in Austria and South Tyrol.