Dutch young people biggest ecstasy users in Europe

Young people in the Netherlands use more drugs than their counterparts in other European cities, according to an annual report by the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). In the age group 15 to 34 years, Dutch were on the top of the list when it comes to ecstasy use in 2015, NOS reports.

A massive 6.6 percent of Dutch in that age group use ecstasy. Ireland comes in a far second place with 4.4 percent. The European average is 1.8 percent.

Ecstasy is traditionally popular in clubs that play electronic music. This is still the cse, according to the researchers. But there are indications of the drug's popularity increasing outside the clubs. In countries like the Netherlands, where the drug is popular, ecstasy is increasingly used in bars and at parties at home.

The number of drug related deaths in Europe is increasing. In 2015 a total of 8,441 people died drug related deaths, a 6 percent increase compared to 2014. Here the Netherlands is in the middle of the list, with 16 drug deaths per million inhabitants.

According to he EMCDDA, new and more powerful synthetic drugs are increasingly appearing on the European market. Last year there were 66 new types. Every year about 24 billion euros is spent on drugs in Europe.