The problem

Concerns have been raised about the evidence of harms caused by increasing cocaine use in Europe. Looking at treatment for cocaine can give some indication of trends in its use in societies. Knowing about these trends can help to inform measures and services to reduce cocaine-related harm. 

The project

HRB researcher Dr Suzi Lyons worked on an international study* that examined data from around 700,000 cocaine treatments between 2011 and 2018 across Belgium, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands as part of the work of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). Cocaine treatment demands in ten Western European countries: observed trends between 2011 and 2018 was published in the journal Addiction on 29 August 2020.

The outcomes

We now know that:

  • Cocaine treatment, and therefore likely wider use of the drug in society, rose sharply in Western Europe between 2015 and the end of the study period in 2018
  • In Europe, between 2011 and 2018, the vast majority of people in treatment for cocaine use were male, with an average age of 35
  • Cocaine treatment demands in ten Western European countries: observed trends between 2011 and 2018 was published in the journal Addiction.

Dr Suzi Lyons, Senior Researcher at the HRB, says:

“The strength of this study is that it brings together drug treatment data from 10 countries in Western Europe. The trends we saw in cocaine treatment, including the sharp rise in treatments between 2015 and 2018, can assist in planning services. The paper has been widely shared because it was published in a high-impact and accessible journal.”

‘Treatment for cocaine rising in Western Europe’ is part of a wider collection of success stories across four themes from annual Health Research in Action 2020. Download the full publication.