Around 96 million Europeans aged between 15-64 have already used illegal drugs, the European Drugs Report said on Thursday. And Britons are ranked the Continent’s most prolific users of cocaine and high-risk opioid, such as heroin and painkillers fentanyl and tramadol. According to the EU report, 10.1 percent of adults (15-64) have used cocaine in Britain during their life.

Eight of every 1,000 people in the country were recorded as using the so-called high-risk opioids.

The Netherlands followed closely as the EU’s second-worst destination for drug use, topping the charts for MDMA use among young adults.

The European Monitoring Agency for Drugs and Addiction blamed social media, the dark web and encryption for allowing gangs and individuals to easily sell illicit substances undetected.

The agency says authorities have discovered “cocaine call centres”, which use couriers to provide a quick and adaptable delivery network.

The Lisbon-based agency insists authorities across the EU are fighting back, with the amount of cocaine seized at record highs in Europe.

In 2017, the latest full-year data available, authorities managed to seize more than 140 metric tonnes of cocaine – almost double the amount seized in the previous year.

The report also said Cocaine reaching Europe is getting purer and this may be why an increasing number of people are seeking treatment for cocaine addiction.

European clinics have reported a 34 percent increase in new patients between 2014 and 2017.

The report states: “Current data on cocaine shows that both the number of seizures and the volumes sized are at an all-time high.

“Cocaine enters Europe through numerous routes and means, but the growth in large-volume trafficking, through major ports, using containers stands out.

“Increased availability of the drug is also suggested by the highest estimates of cocaine purity at retail level in a decade.”

Despite the growth of Class A drugs across Europe, cannabis remains the most widely used illicit substance on the Continent.

Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European Commission’s home affairs chief, said: “Today’s report shows the complex nature of Europe’s drug phenomenon.

“Drugs remain a constantly evolving, multi-faceted threat for our societies, affecting the life of millions of citizens around the world.

“We need a more coordinated approach that tackles both supply and demand. Our efforts are bearing fruit with our new rules to ban psychoactive substances and our enhanced cooperation with international partners.

“But we also need to look at the role of digitalisation in the drug market. We have no time to spare. We need to be coordinated at the national, European and international levels. Together with our EU drugs agency, we will continue to play a leading role in this effort.”

The figures for the EU-wide survey were captured over the last decade, with Britain’s data recorded in 2017. 

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