Through wastewater analysis, scientists can detect chemical traces (metabolites) left behind by substance consumption.
What do the data say?
– Several Spanish cities are among the highest cocaine consumers in Europe
– Substances such as MDMA, amphetamines, and methamphetamine have increased
– And in Barcelona, ketamine consumption has tripled in recent years. This, although used in medicine, can generate dissociative effects and serious health problems.
Of course, this method has limits: it tells us how much substance there is, but not who consumes it or how. Did you know it?
