Wastewater analysis determines not only the presence of coronavirus. This method helps to find out what percentage of the Greek population uses illegal substances.
Presented by EKPA Professor of Analytical Chemistry Nikos Tomaidis, the results of an analysis of wastewater show: 10% of the Greek population smokes low-grade marijuana, and every hundredth prefers cocaine, the newspaper writes. newsbeast.gr.
The cannabis used today is of much lower quality than it was a few years ago. The professor also notes that marijuana use increases in winter and decreases in summer. The number of cocaine users is on the rise and has roughly the same seasonality, the scientist says:
“Since March 2020, we have been thinking about analyzing wastewater monthly to see if there are any changes in substance use during the pandemic. We found that we have an increase in cannabis use from September to March and a decrease from April to August. Our quality data show that it is equivalent to the data of the European Narcotics Monitoring Center. In recent years, cannabis produced in Europe has been of lower quality than in previous years. It appears that the cultivation and circulation of cannabis has some problems. Cannabis is the substance that is consumed more than any other, however in recent years we have seen a significant increase in cocaine use reaching 1% of the population of Attica.”
More Stories
Low wages and inflation "drown" Greek youth
Greece becomes a 'safe haven' for German pensioners
Bark Air: New airline specializing in pet transportation launches in May