The number of drug users among new cases of HIV infections has declined over the last four years marking a significant improvement from the 2014-2016 period when there was an increase in such cases, the report published by the government on Wednesday said. Fatal overdoses also went down with Luxembourg making noticeable progress from 2000 when 26 incidents were reported compared to just six in 2020.

Luxembourg was among the countries with the highest rates of high-drug use in the EU in 2000 when there were an estimated nine users per 1,000. That number has been almost halved to 5.06 per 1,000 in 2020 or 2,160 in total on Luxembourg’s territory. Opioids remain the most common substance among high-risk drug users and polydrug use, meaning mixing drugs, is dominant in this group of people.

The number of those seeking treatment for a substance problem went up in 2016 and 2019 (164,000 and 150,937 respectively) but went down in 2020 to 146,000, with access made more difficult by the covid-19 pandemic and lockdown. Treatment seekers are overwhelmingly men (78.6%) and their average age is 36.8, up from 28 in 1997.

Cannabis remains the most commonly used illicit drug in Luxembourg but its use among 15–34-year-olds is below the EU average rate. Weed in the grand duchy has also become more potent with average THC concentration going from 9% in 2012 to 14.5% in 2020. Cannabis being the most used substance is also the most often seized one, representing 67% of total confiscations by the police.

In October 2021,   The consumption of cannabis remains prohibited in public spaces, but the bill provides for a “decorrection” limited to three grams.