There has been a drop in the number of drug related deaths in the Netherlands but more people are regularly using cannabis and other drugs, according to the latest drugs use monitor from addiction clinic Trimbos Institute.

The number of people dying of a drugs overdose – including prescription drugs – reached 224 in 2018, well down on the 262 deaths recorded in 2017, the clinic said. Around 50% of the drugs-related deaths were due to opiates.

The institute says it is unclear what has caused the downturn and more research is needed, ‘but at least there has been no further increase’.

In terms of cannabis use, there has been a sharp rise in the number of adults using cannabis or hashish on a daily basis. ‘This is an important signal we cannot ignore, but we should first await the findings from next surveys to conclude whether this is really a (new) trend,’ researcher Margriet van Laar told DutchNews.nl.

In total, one million over-18s in the Netherlands say they have used cannabis at least once in the past year, while 250,000 have used cocaine (1.6% of the population) and 380,000 have taken ecstasy.

The researchers also looked at the abuse of prescription drugs and found a rise in the number of adults using medicine to combat the effects of ADHD which they had been given by friends or had bought on the internet.

The report has an English language summary (pages 27 to 46).