Recent decline in quantity of herbal cannabis seized

Herbal cannabis (marijuana) and cannabis resin (hashish) are the two main cannabis products found on the European drugs market, while cannabis oil is comparatively rare. Cannabis products account for the largest share (38 %) of the illicit drug retail market in Europe, with an estimated value of EUR 9.3 billion (likely range EUR 8.4 billion to EUR 12.9 billion). Herbal cannabis consumed in Europe is both cultivated domestically and trafficked from external countries. The herbal cannabis produced in Europe is mostly cultivated indoors. Most of the cannabis resin is imported, mainly from Morocco. Recent reports indicate changes in cannabis trafficking routes, with increases in the trafficking of both herbal cannabis and cannabis oil from the western Balkans, notably Albania, linked to increased cannabis cultivation in those countries. In addition, evidence suggests that Libya has become a major hub for the trafficking of resin to various destinations including Europe.

Resin

Herb

In 2015, 732 000 seizures of cannabis products were reported in the European Union including 404 000 of herbal cannabis, 288 000 of cannabis resin and 19 000 of cannabis plants. The quantity of cannabis resin seized, however, is more than 6 times that of herbal cannabis (536 tonnes versus 89 tonnes). This is partially a consequence of cannabis resin being trafficked in volume over large distances and across national borders, making it more vulnerable to interdiction. In the analysis of the quantity of cannabis seized, a small number of countries are particularly important due to their location on major cannabis trafficking routes. Spain, for example, as a major point of entry for cannabis resin produced in Morocco, reported more than 70 % of the total quantity seized in Europe in 2015.

Seizures of cannabis resin and herbal cannabis, 2015 or most recent year

The number of seizures of herbal cannabis in Europe has exceeded that of cannabis resin since 2009, with relatively stable trends in the number of both resin and herbal cannabis seizures since 2011. An estimated 135 tonnes of herbal cannabis was seized in Europe in 2015, a decrease of 38 % compared with the 217 tonnes seized in 2014. Notable declines were reported in Belgium, Greece and Italy. A similar decrease in the quantity of herbal cannabis seized in Turkey is also evident from 2013. A number of factors may be behind this overall drop in Europe. These may include initiatives to tackle large-scale production in countries outside the European Union, such as Albania; increased focus on domestic cultivation rather than trafficking; changes in the way seizures are registered, and changing law enforcement priorities in some countries. In the latest data, the quantity of cannabis resin seized in the European Union has remained relatively stable since 2009.

Trends in number of cannabis seizures and quantity of cannabis seized: resin and herb

Seizures of cannabis plants may be regarded as an indicator of the production of the drug within a country. Because of reporting differences between countries, data on cannabis plant seizures must be considered with caution. Nevertheless, the number of plants seized has shown a long-term increase, from 1.5 million plants in 2002 to 3.3 million in 2014, rising sharply to 11.4 million plants in 2015, with a large increase in the number of plants seized reported from the Netherlands. This trend may reflect changes in law enforcement priorities, with cannabis cultivation more intensively targeted.