Drug use in England spikes during bank holiday weekends, heatwaves and sporting events, with Eurovision ranking as one of the most drug-fuelled nights of the year.
Scientists conducted tests at 15 water treatment plants across the country, and found particularly high levels of cocaine and ketamine that was linked to the changing seasons and the weekend.
The analysis, which was conducted in 2022, and involved more than 1,700 water samples, showed that drug use was more prolific during England’s World Cup football matches, summer heatwaves and the late Queen’s platinum jubilee.
The Eurovision song contest, which takes place each May, was linked to rises in cocaine, ketamine, MDMA and methamphetamine.
The project, which was led by Imperial College London for the Home Office, will assist emergency services in preparing for drug-related incidents and when to bolster public health messaging.
Professor Leon Barron, who leads a team at Imperial’s Environmental Research Group, said: “This really tells you what to focus on.
“People overdose from all sorts of illicit drugs and if there’s a particular event and that’s a repeatable event in the year, you can let the emergency services know that this is a night where we could see more drug overdoses or more drug-fuelled behaviour,” he said.
The findings, which were published in the journal Addiction, found that cocaine and MDMA use peaked at the weekend, although cocaine was prevalent throughout the week.
Of the sites tested, 15 locations detected the equivalent of about 12 tonnes of cocaine over the year, while ketamine use was higher at seven sites than in any other European site subject to monitoring.
Researchers conducted their analysis by looking for 20 different compounds in wastewater, including Class A’s such as MDMA and heroin, as well as cutting agents and breakdown products.
“People are using it every single day and to the same degree, no matter whether it’s a weekend or a weekday,” Professor Barron said. “It’s becoming very routinely used and it’s really quite a worrying situation.”
The research also showed the impact drug seizures have on consumption levels, with a seizure of 3.7 tonnes of cocaine in Southampton in March 2022 causing a decrease across three cities for a month.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) said ketamine use and related harms had all increased signficantly in recent years, with the age group 16 to 24 year-olds most likely to be affected.
A government spokesperson said: “Our crackdown on drugs is having a real impact. We’ve strengthened our border security to tackle the criminal gangs putting lives at risk. Around 5 tonnes of cocaine have been seized by Border Force at just one port in less than a month – depriving criminal gangs of more than £400m worth of drugs.
“We will continue to work across health, policing and wider public services to drive down drug use and stop those who profit from its supply.”
Cocaine entering waterways is having a big effect on behaviour of young salmon
Starmer to chair Cobra meeting on economic impact of Iran war
Why the King’s soft power will be more important than ever in wake of shooting
Archbishop of Canterbury joins Pope Leo for ‘moment of prayer’ during Vatican visit
Opposition parties ‘playing silly political games’ calling for PM to face probe
