Wastewater Analysis Finds Speed Favored In Holland, Sways Drug Policy

Wastewater analysis has revealed that the drug of choice in a segment of Dutch cities is speed, prompting officials to consider a harder line on drug policy.

“Eight Dutch towns are overhauling their strategies to tackle drugs abuse after using an analysis of wastewater to find out more about what drugs their residents are actually taking,” Dutch News reported, citing NRC, a Dutch newspaper.

“In March, water analysis institute KWR checked the wastewater in eight Utrecht towns and villages for cocaine, cannabis, MDMA, amphetamines and methamphetamine over the period of a week. Among the findings: cocaine and cannabis are not as popular as in cities such as Amsterdam and Utrecht, but speed is the drug of choice,” the report said.

Local policymakers are drawing up plans to respond to community drug use. Alderman Johan van Everdingen said, per Dutch News: “Speed is farmers’ cocaine. It is cheap and easy to get hold of. We are going to disrupt the market.”

A separate analysis by KWR, surveying cities all over Europe, found three Dutch cities in the top ten for drug use.

“Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Utrecht consistently show up in the top ten cities for average drug use. The research looked at wastewater samples taken in 45 different cities or city districts between 2011 and 2013, with samples analyzed for cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, MDMA and THC from marijuana use. Samples were taken over a one-week period in each year,” NL Times reported, citing the study.

The European Monitoring Center For Drugs and Drug Addiction, a European Union agency, draws on wastewater research for its analyses. It documented its latest findings in the 2016 European Drug Report. That study, based on drug concentrations in sewage, found that London “is the cocaine capital of Europe for the second year running, an official study of reveals,” ITV reported.

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