PSYCH NEWS – 16/06/2025

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Chemical Collective or any associated parties.

This week’s Psych News sees us diving into the data with the release of the EUDA (European Union Drugs Agency) European Drug Report 2025 and the European Web Survey on Drugs 2025. We also explore some worrying trends in drug use in the UK as a result of continued regulation. There are some exciting developments in both the perception of, and study of psychedelics around the world – from the UK’s first psychedelic graduates, to hundreds of millions in additional research funding in the US. Finally, tributes have been paid after the passing of the beloved ‘crackpot countess’, Amanda Fielding.

The European Drug Report 2025

The European Drug Report provides a comprehensive overview of drug use and abuse throughout the European Union, up to the end of 2024. This includes data on the availability of substances, usage statistics, manufacture and purity, policy and treatment developments, etc. There is a gigantic amount of information contained in the report, which is pretty overwhelming, so let’s go section by section and highlight some key areas of interest.

The Drug Market up to 2025

• Europe’s drug market continues to grow steadily, adapting to changing conditions without issue. There is high availability of both ‘traditional’ substances (cannabis, cocaine, heroin), as well as new and emerging substances (synthetic opioids, cathinones, benzodiazepines).
• Between 2013 and 2023, seizures of substances like MDMA, amphetamines, cannabis and cocaine doubled, or more!
• In 2023 alone, almost 1.6 million drug-related offences were recorded. 78% of these offences were related to simple personal use or possession, illustrating the continued impact of the illegality of these substances.
• The growing complexity of the industry as a result of technological innovation and rapidly shifting attitudes to drugs worldwide has drastically increased challenges for public health, enforcement of laws and treatments for substance abuse.
• EUDA’s stance on tackling these evolving challenges emphasises collaboration between member states. Coordinated drug policy intervention and monitoring/early-warning systems to provide alerts on new substances, dangerous batches, track precursors, etc.

The report remains objective and data-focused throughout, and while it is not made explicit that the vast majority of these issues are as a direct result of the continued illegality of these substances, it is certainly there as an obvious backdrop.

Cannabis

• Remains by far the most consumed illicit drug in Europe – 8.4% of European adults (24 million aged 25-64) have used cannabis in the last year.
• The largest share of the overall illicit drug market, with a value of at least €12.1 billion.

Cocaine

• The second most consumed illicit drug in Europe. – 2.7 million 15- to 34-year-olds (roughly 2.7 % of that age group) used cocaine in the last year.
• Of the 15 European countries that have conducted surveys since 2022, 6 reported higher estimates than their previous comparable survey and 8 reported a stable upward trend.
• In 2023 EU countries seized a record 419 tonnes of cocaine, the majority of which was trafficked through ports in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain.
• Cocaine now accounts for over 25% of all overdose deaths.

Stimulants

• Amphetamine remains the most used stimulant in the EU, but use of synthetic cathinones is rapidly rising to meet it, with record seizures in the past year.
• In contrast to cocaine, these substances are often produced in the country/region in which they are consumed due to widely available precursor chemicals.
• Most amphetamine/methamphetamine is produced in the Netherlands.
• Nearly 80% of amphetamine usage occurs in just 6 countries: Belgium, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain.

MDMA

• 2.6 million adults (15-34) reported taking MDMA in the last year.
• Precursor seizures more than tripled from 19.9 tonnes to 63.1 tonnes.
• Europe spends roughly €594 million on MDMA every year.
• Production of MDMA creates between 1-3000 tonnes of toxic waste every year.

Opiates

• Heroin continues to be the most commonly used illicit opiate.
• Europe-wide opiate use has seemingly plateaued, with roughly 860,000 users each year. 
• Opiates were detected in 75% of all overdose deaths, most as a result of adulterated products.
• Seizure amounts dropped from 9.5 tonnes to 4.5 tonnes.

Other Drugs

• Ketamine abuse is rising, with 1380 people admitted to treatment facilities as opposed to just 300 the year prior.
• ‘Pink Cocaine’ is on the rise, a combination of MDMA, cocaine, and ketamine. Usage is mostly confined to Spain and Italy.

Harm Reduction

• Challenges are increasingly complex due to the prevalence of polysubstance use, new substances and marginalised populations.
• EUDA is developing a new drug alert system to aid in rapid response to emerging crises.
• Access to harm reduction is still very poor and varies hugely from country to country.

The European Web Survey on Drugs 2025

This survey, which ran from May 2024 – July 2024, reveals the drug habits of over 66000 Europeans. As already illustrated in the previous report, the responses showed cannabis to be the most widely consumed substance, while polysubstance use is becoming increasingly widespread.

Most Used Substances

• Cannabis: 59%
• Cocaine: 30%
• MDMA: 29%
• Magic mushrooms: 18%
• Amphetamines: 17%
• New Psychoactive Substances: 16%
• Ketamine: 14%

Polysubstance Use

• Cocaine was the substance most likely to be used in conjunction with others. Only 4% of users reportedly used it alone.
• Cannabis has the lowest rate of polysubstance use. 33% of respondents said they solely used cannabis.

Why Do People Take Drugs?

“To get high/for fun”

• 75% of MDMA, ketamine and cocaine users.
• 50% of New psychedelic substances, crack cocaine, amphetamine and methamphetamine users.

“To stay awake”

• 51% of amphetamine users.
• 44% of methamphetamine users.

“To reduce stress/relax”

• 60% of methamphetamine, cannabis, and CBD/low THC cannabis users.

Where Do People Take Drugs?

• Most drugs are taken at home: cannabis, amphetamine, methamphetamine, heroin, new psychedelic substances, and ketamine.
• MDMA – 79% of users said it was taken at a party or music festival.
• Cocaine – 68% of users said they took it at bars or clubs.

Cocaine Use in the UK

Following on from the EUDA report, it has been revealed that the UK is now the largest per capita consumer of cocaine in the entirety of Europe. England, Scotland and Wales now consume 117 tonnes of the drug each year – enough to “fill a football stadium”. The main factor for this increase is seen to be the continued lowering of the cost of cocaine from roughly £100 per gram to more like £50. As the EUDA report explains, cocaine is nearly universally used in conjunction with other substances, namely alcohol. In a climate in which alcohol prices have risen dramatically, you can see why the concurrent drop in cocaine prices might further spur an increase in its use. Dealers’ use of encrypted apps and social media makes policing increasingly difficult to manage. Despite record seizures in 2024 (26.57 tonnes specifically), gangs are far more capable of adapting quickly than law enforcement. The cocaine economy is deeply entrenched in the UK and globally, and shows no signs of abating.

Growing Acceptance of Psychedelics Worldwide

A new study has revealed dramatic differences in attitudes to various different types of drugs. Psychedelics garnered the most consistently positive responses, with other illicit drugs still harboring extremely negative connotations.

Researchers from the University of Nottingham analysed over 600,000 Reddit posts using Google Cloud Natural Language Infrastructure to compare how different substances were talked about online.

Findings

• Ayahuasca and mescaline were the most positively viewed substances. Their associations with spiritual and therapeutic use were motivating factors.
• Heroin and methamphetamine gained the most negative responses, indicating the enduring stigma associated with these substances, and concerns with wider public safety.
• Use of social media analysis as opposed to surveys allowed researchers to bypass the usual issues with self-reporting, as both users’ anonymity and the context in which their responses were given promoted openness and honesty.

The First Psychedelics Graduates

Fortuitously coinciding with the largest psychedelic conference in Europe, the University of Exeter has celebrated the first graduates from the new Postgraduate Certificate in Psychedelics course. The course was launched just two years ago and is designed to equip healthcare professionals with the tools they need to harness psychedelics’ powerful impact on therapeutic practices. This focuses on the need to emphasise the holistic aspects of this form of therapy – the philosophy and cultural history associated with these substances. Following the success of this first course, Exeter is offering further study opportunities with distance learning and on-campus Master’s programmes in Psychedelics: Mind, Medicine and Culture. This marks yet another waypoint on psychedelics’ journey to mainstream accessibility.

Funding for Psychedelic Research in Texas

The governor of Texas, George Abbot, has approved the ‘Texas Ibogaine Initiative’. This bill allocates up to $100 million for research into ibogaine. Ibogaine shows a lot of potential for tackling mental health issues such as PTSD, alcoholism, and depression. The fact that this bill is passing in Texas, a notoriously strict state, can only be a further positive sign of psychedelics’ growing acceptance across the world. The bill’s passing appears to follow on from increasing pressure from army veteran groups, who are protesting the state’s proposed ban on THC-rich hemp.

Amanda Fielding: 30/01/1943 - 22/05/2025

Tributes have been paid to the ‘Queen of Consciousness’, Amanda Fielding, who passed away at her home on the evening of Thursday, 22nd May, aged 82. Somewhat poetically, the time was precisely 20:25, 22/05/2025, a rather appropriate moment of synchronicity. Her family posted a final message to Instagram and LinkedIn, which deserves to be included in its entirety:

She died as she had lived – with courage, curiosity, compassion, and gracefulness. In her final two weeks, which she spent with her beloved sons, grandchildren, husband, and closest friends, she did not ever lose her love of life, but she did turn her attention to her next great adventure. She made clear that, far from being afraid, after a lifetime spent equally fascinated by the scientific as by the mystical, she was excited to be on the cusp of discovering the ultimate mystery.

Amanda lived this life to the fullest and she left satisfied that what she cared about most – her family and her vision for the future – will continue to thrive. She will be greatly missed, but she will always be remembered with even greater love by those whose lives she touched.

Amanda Fielding was the ‘hidden hand’ behind the ongoing psychedelic renaissance. She rose to prominence for one particularly shocking moment of self-experimentation in which she drilled into her own skull to begin her lifelong exploration of higher states of consciousness. She went on to found the Beckley Foundation in 1998, producing the first brain-imaging results of the LSD experience. Throughout her life, she co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed papers on every psychedelic/mind-altering substance you can imagine. A pioneer, who will be sorely missed, is off on her next journey into the unknown.

David Blackbourn | Community Blogger at Chemical Collective

David is one of our community bloggers here at Chemical Collective. If you’re interested in joining our blogging team and getting paid to write about subjects you’re passionate about, please reach out to Sam via email at samwoolfe@gmail.com