Just under half of drug-related admissions to the emergency room in Malta were a result of cocaine abuse, an annual report by the EU drug agency has revealed. 

Published on Thursday, the annual European Drug Report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) showed that just under 50% of those admitted to hospital had abused of the illicit drug. 

Although the trend was widespread across Europe, with cocaine being the drug most commonly involved in hospital presentations in 2017, the year under review, Malta's rate is the third-highest in Europe.

In Italy, just under 60% of those admitted to hospital because of drug use had abused of cocaine, with the figure going down to 50% in Spain. The two countries were the only ones to register rates higher than Malta. 

The researchers noted that differences in the drugs involved in emergency
presentations appeared to reflect variations in hospital catchments area and local patterns of use.

For example, emergencies involving amphetamines were most common in the north and east of Europe, whereas presentations related to cocaine were predominant in the south and west of Europe, they said.

On seizures by the authorities, the report shows that in 2017, 13 kilograms of heroin, 0.3 kilograms of cocaine were confiscated. On amphetamines, the report states that lest than 0.1 kilos and 405 tablets of MDMA, MDA and MDEA were also seized. 

On cannabis, the centre said that 591 kilos of resin, 0.2 kilos of herbal cannabis and 11 cannabis plants were confiscated. 

 

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