Cannabis use in Athens among highest in Europe

Cannabis use in Attica is among the highest in Europe, with Athens ranking fifth or sixth in Europe, according to Nikos Thomaidis, professor of analytical chemistry at the University of Athens. Speaking to broadcaster ERT, he said Greece has provided wastewater analysis data to the European Monitoring Center for Drugs since 2011. 

Thomaidis said cannabis use dropped in the first phase of the lockdown from March 2020 to September 2020, as in other European cities, attributed to the absence of trafficking.

“In Athens we saw an increase in use from October 2020 to March 2021. In March 2021 we had quite high use, which corresponds to about 10% of Attica’s population,” he stressed. “Cannabis use increases in winter and decreases in summer,” according to the data, the professor said.

The data also show that cannabis use is higher in Southern Europe as well as certain Dutch cities, and in Paris and London.