THL Research: Already on the day of the week, the thumbs up in the weekly sewage in cities in southern and southwestern Finland
According to the National Institute for Health and Welfare, total drug use has generally increased throughout the country.
– When looking at the whole country, the drug situation varies considerably. Drugs focus on the big cities of southern Finland.
A wastewater survey reveals the alpha-PVP, the so-called thumb, that the so-called thumb is clearly increased in the Helsinki metropolitan area and in southern and southwestern Finland. For example, in the Helsinki metropolitan area, quantities have become four-five times since 2022.
According to a wastewater survey, the thumb occurred regularly every day of the week, along with the major cities of Southern and Western Finland, in Hämeenlinna, Salo, Huittinen, Vihti, Porvoo, Kotka, Savonlinna, Vaasa and Lappeenranta.
\”The use of Alfa-PVP has multiplied in recent years, for example in the Helsinki metropolitan area and in Tampere,\” says Gunnar.
According to him, the use of Alfa-PV is an example of how the amount of drugs and also the substances used vary across the country. Gunnar says that the so -called thumb also replaces the use of other drugs.
*In the video below, THL’s Gunnar tells about the proliferation of Alfa-PVP. Video illustration of the archive image**from YLE’s last fall story **, telling about the proliferation of the \”thumb\” in Helsinki.*
The use of amphetamine and cocaine increased
According to screening in 2024, the number of use of amphetamine and cocaine was in many places the highest in measurement history. In the Helsinki metropolitan area, cocaine is used even more than amphetamine, and elsewhere in the country amphetamine is still the most common drug.
You can look at the graphics below in the cities involved in THL’s wastewater survey.
The use of cocaine has increased, for example, in Lahti, where it was the highest in the history of wastewater research. In addition to Lahti, the use of cocaine has also increased in many other cities.
\”For Lahti, the amount of cocaine increased compared to 2022 and was at a record level,\” says Gunnar.
In the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, cocaine is still used most in proportion to the population, but growth has stabilized over the last two years.
Although overall use in Finland has increased in Finland, the top 2020 will be left. According to Gunnar, this is also reflected in the reduction in social side effects of amphetamine. For example, the number of drug runs has decreased over the last two years.
The use of ecstasy remained steady
The amount of MDMA, or ecstasy, has remained very smooth. According to Gunnar, ecstasy is also used more in large cities than in small cities. There is currently little methamphetamine throughout the country.
THL wastewater surveys can be used to estimate drug use throughout Finland. The information can also be used to determine the monetary value of the drug market. According to THL, increased drug use has increased the monetary value of the drug market over the last ten years.
According to a recent wastewater survey, the market value of amphetamine in Finland was EUR 120-150 million in 2024. The market value of cocaine was approximately EUR 100 million and the methamphetamine was approximately EUR 5 million. In particular, the market value of cocaine has increased significantly, as in 2014, the market value of amphetamine was estimated at approximately EUR 70 million and cocaine and methamphetamine about EUR 10 million.
The results of the now published nationwide wastewater monitoring are from 2024. The study will be conducted on waste water in major cities and their surrounding areas in even years. Samples are collected every year from the wastewater treatment plants in Helsinki, Espoo, Turku and Tampere.