According to new figures published in the 2017 National Drug Report by the Luxembourg Institute of Health, it is estimated that around 2,200 people in Luxembourg use illegal drugs, equivalent to 5.8 per 1,000 inhabitants, aged 15 to 64.

Back in 2000, the rate was 9 users per 1,000 inhabitants. The rate of people injecting drugs has also fallen, from 5.7 per 1,000 in 2009 to 3.8 per 1,000 in 2015, lower than the EU average and generally lower than neighbouring countries.

But that is not to say everything is rosy in Luxembourg. The number of drug users in treatment is the highest on record, with 150,000 contacts to drug support services recorded in 2016. New HIV infections among drug injectors have risen from 3.5% of the drug using population in 2013 to 9.7% in 2016, partly because of an increase in injecting cocaine.

Infection rates for Hepatitis C are also high with 50% of all drug users reporting they have the virus, a proportion which rises to almost 70% among those who inject.

The 2017 results were not complete at the time the report was published, however, the author says at first glance they appear to suggest a drop in HIV infections related to drug injection. The report, nevertheless, stressed the need for vigilance to bring down infection rates.

The number of people dying from an overdose in Luxembourg fell considerably over 16 years, down from 26 in 2000 to 5 in 2016. The report said that the improvements came as a result of a national drug prevention plan. In 2016, Luxembourg spent €12.5 million on drug reduction activities.