PhD-student at SERAF, Stefania Salvatore has investigated the use of illicit drugs in 17 Italian cities, looking at the amount of their metabolites or parent compounds detected in wastewater. The study is done together with researchers at Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (University of Oslo) in collaboration with Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milano.
Cannabis was the predominant drug in the Italian wastewater followed by cocaine and heroin, while MDMA was the drug with the highest weekend peak, indicating that the drug may be preferred during night-life settings. However, differences in the timing of such a peak were also found between different cities.
The level of drugs were found to be lower in southern Italy compared to the northern and central Italy, while high levels of drugs have been found in large size cities indicating a possible higher demand for illicit drugs. Large cities seemed to be the preferred location during party scenes, as they showed a higher increase of drug load at the weekend.
Even though the general level of MDMA in Italy was among the drugs with the lowest prevalence, the significant increase which occurred at the weekend in almost all the Italian cities was striking and brought concerns.
Read the article in Journal of Public Health