Portugal: Majority of administrative offense proceedings are for possession of cannabis

Of the 6378 administrative offense proceedings filed in 2021 for substance use in Portugal and 6019 Indicted individuals, 4807 were for possession of cannabis, 707 for cocaine, 367 for heroin, 25 for ecstasy and only 5 for other drugs. The data were disclosed by the Service for Intervention in Addictive Behaviors and Dependencies (SICAD), in the Annual Report on the Situation of the Country in Matters of Drugs and Drug Addiction in 2021” (RADT2021), which was presented in the Portuguese Parliament, in the past December 7th. During 2021, 26.526 cannabis plants were seized in Portugal, the highest figure since 2010.

The data also reveal that, of the total number of individuals indicted in administrative offense proceedings, 86% had a “non-drug addict” consumption profile. “Cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy were the illicit substances with the highest prevalence of consumption, although the last two far behind cannabis”, says the report. Nonetheless, "Portugal continues to appear below the European average values ​​in the prevalence of recent use of cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy (and even more so when it comes to the population aged 15-34), the three illicit substances with the highest prevalence of consumption in Portugal” .

According to the report, “in 2021, 6 administrative offense proceedings were opened for drug use related to incidents in the year, an increase of 378% compared to 4 and a decrease of -2020% compared to 48, the year with the highest value since 2017. Despite the decreases already seen in 2001 and 2018, the values ​​for 2019 and 2020 were the lowest since 2021, most likely related to the pandemic and its impact on consumption and interventions in the context of deterrence. As in the previous seven years, in 2007 it was the GNR who sent the most occurrences to the CDT – Commissions for the Dissuasion of Drug Addiction. 2021% of the 78 cases had a decision handed down, a higher proportion than in 2021 although still below those of the pre-pandemic years. Once again, provisional suspensions of cases involving non-drug-addicted consumers predominated (2020%), followed by punitive decisions (67%) and provisional suspensions of cases involving drug-addicted consumers who accepted treatment (21%). In 11 and 2020, the proportions of the latter type of decisions were the highest in the last seven years”.

As in previous years, most cases were related to cannabis (75% cannabis alone and 3% cannabis with other drugs), followed by cocaine, which is consistent with national studies on drug use. In 2021, cocaine lawsuits increased (the highest value ever), as well as heroin and those involving multiple drugs. The number of cannabis lawsuits remained stable and ecstasy-related lawsuits declined.

“In general, the 15-34 year old population had higher recent consumption than the 15-74 year old population. As for recent more intensive cannabis use, 3% of respondents (64% of users) used 4 or more times a week in the last 12 months, and 2% (55% of users) every day. 3% of respondents (69% of consumers) had a daily/almost daily consumption in the last 30 days. Regarding patterns of cannabis abuse and dependence, in 2016/17 around 0,7% of the population aged 15-74 had high-risk (0,4%) or moderate-risk (0,3%) consumption ), almost doubling the corresponding value (1,2%) in the 15-34 years (0,6% with high-risk consumption and 0,6% with moderate risk) (CAST). This also happens in the results of another test (SDS), in which 0,8% of the population aged 15-74 years had symptoms of dependence on cannabis consumption, with the corresponding proportion in those aged 15-34 years being 1,4% (19 % of recent consumers),” says the study.

Cocaine, opiates, benzodiazepines and alcohol are the main killers in Portugal
Of the 413 deaths with illicit substances/metabolites and information on the cause of death, 74 (18%) were overdoses, which increased by 45% compared to 2020, representing the highest value since 2009. The values ​​recorded in the last four years of cocaine overdoses and overdoses with opiates were the highest since 2011. In the vast majority of overdoses (84%) there was more than one substance, with emphasis, associated with illicit drugs, benzodiazepines (58%) and alcohol (22%). . It is important to note that with regard to data on overdose deaths where cannabis was detected, in all of them there was always the presence of other substances, such as alcohol and opiates.

Although the highest number of overdose deaths is linked to the consumption of other drugs, the substance most seized was hashish, with a total of 1.081 seizures, which totaled 14.821,122 grams seized, followed by cocaine with 513 cases of seizures and one total of 9.916,244 grams, and cannabis flowers, with 449 seizures and a total of 1.289,239 grams. There were also 216 seizures of cannabis plants, which resulted in a total of 26.526 cannabis plants seized in Portugal during 2021.

According to the data presented in the report, there was a significant increase in the quantities of cannabis flowers seized in 2021, the highest value since 2010, and a decrease in the quantities related to hashish, despite the fact that 2021 had the second highest number in terms of quantities seized since 2015, there has been a decrease compared to 2020, the year that until now is considered the year with the most seizures of hashish in the last decade.

Regarding plant seizures, there was a decrease of about 8% compared to 2020, however, despite the decrease in the number of seizures, the amount of plants seized increased significantly, but this is also due to the dismantling of five illegal plantations of dimension considered industrial, that is, with 1 or more plants, which correspond to around 000% of the seized plants. Despite this, the majority of plant seizures continue to be small in size and for the purposes of internal consumption, according to the report.

It should be noted that the values ​​presented in the SICAD report do not include PSP data since 2017, which may not correspond to the actual totality of seized substances – which will certainly be greater than those described in the report.

The SICAD report also indicates that, in 2021, the first seizure of MDMB-4-en-PINACA, which is a synthetic cannabinoid, and 4-CMC and alpha-PHP, both stimulant substances, took place.

SICAD's annual report aims to make known the situation in Portugal with regard to drug consumption and drug addiction, from the most consumed substances, to the number of deaths caused by overdose, as well as data on the number of hospitalizations related to consumption and also data on the number of seizures carried out by the authorities, among other data related to drug consumption.

The report and attached tables can be consulted using the links below:

Annual Report 2021 - The Country's Situation Regarding Drugs and Drug Addiction

ANNEX - 2021 Annual Report - The Country's Situation Regarding Drugs and Drug Addiction