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Country overview: Belgium

Key statistics on the drug situation in Belgium

  Indicator Year (0)   Country
data
EU range  
Min. Max.
Lifetime prevalence of drug use among young adults (15 to 34 years old) cannabis GPS 2008   26 % 2.9 % 45.5 % 1
Lifetime prevalence of drug use among all adults (15 to 64 years old) cannabis 2008   14.3 % 1.5 % 32.5 % 1
Last year prevalence of drug use among young adults (15 to 34 years old) cannabis 2008   11.2 % 0.9 % 21.6 % 1
Last year prevalence of drug use among all adults (15 to 64 years old) cannabis 2008   5.1 % 0.4 % 14.3 % 1
Lifetime prevalence of drug use among young adults (15 to 34 years old) cocaine 2008     0.1 % 13.6 % 1
Lifetime prevalence of drug use among all adults (15 to 64 years old) cocaine 2008     0.1 % 10.2 % 1
Last year prevalence of drug use among young adults (15 to 34 years old) cocaine 2008   2 % 0.1 % 4.8 % 1
Last year prevalence of drug use among all adults (15 to 64 years old) cocaine 2008   0.9 % 0 % 2.7 % 1
Recent school surveys: lifetime prevalence (15 to 16 years old) cannabis EYE 2008 a 23 % 4 % 45 % 2
Recent school surveys: lifetime prevalence (15 to 16 years old) cocaine 2008 a 3 % 1 % 5 % 2
Problem drug use rate per 1 000 population aged 15 to 64 years old PDU       0.5 10.1 1
Injecting drug use rate per 1 000 population aged 15 to 64 years old       0.22 15.1 1
Infectious diseases (% infected) HIV INF 2009 b 0–5.1 % 0 % 32.5 % 1
Infectious diseases (cases per million) HIV infections newly diagnosed in injecting drug users 2009   1.2 0 63.4 5
Infectious diseases (% infected) HCV 2009 b 30.4–80.9 % 22.4 % 90.7 % 1
Infectious diseases (% infected) HBV HBsAg 2009 b 0–4.2 % 0.5 % 3.9 % 1
Drug-related deaths DRD       6 2 481 3
Drug law offences (as number of reports of offences) DLO 2009   41 525 772 397 620 2
Drug law offences for use/possession 2009   26 655 285 372 230 1
Cannabis drug law offences i 2009 c 70.9 % 24.4 % 91.5 % 4
Number of new clients entering treatment TDI 2009 d 3 198 21 45 048 3
Number of new clients entering treatment with known primary drug 2009 d

3 114

0 43 683 3
New clients entering treatment (% opioids of clients with known primary drug) 2009 d 17 % 3.1 % 92.8 % 3
New clients entering treatment (% cocaine of clients with known primary drug) 2009 d 16.9 % 0 % 56 % 3
New clients entering treatment (% cannabis of clients with known primary drug) 2009 d 47.3 % 1.9 % 80.2 % 3
Number of all clients entering treatment 2009 d 8 503 350 139 390 3
Number of all clients entering treatment with known primary drug 2009 d 8 004 350 133 960 3
All clients entering treatment (% opioids of clients with known primary drug) 2009 d 35.7 % 10.4 % 97.1 % 3
All clients entering treatment (% cocaine of clients with known primary drug) 2009 d 15.4 % 0.1 % 46.4 % 3
All clients entering treatment (% cannabis of clients with known primary drug) 2009 d 31.6 % 0.6 % 69.8 % 3
Syringes provided through needle and syringe programmes HSR 2009   946 565 0 4 861 195 1
Number of all clients in substitution treatment 2007   16 275 189 137 541 2
Price in euros per gram cannabis herb ii PPP 2009 e EUR 7.20; EUR 8.10 EUR 2 EUR 70 5
Price in euros per gram cannabis resin ii 2009 e EUR 7; EUR 8.20 EUR 3 EUR 19 5
Price in euros per gram cocaine ii 2009 e EUR 50.90; EUR 53 EUR 45 EUR 104 5
Price in euros per gram heroin (brown) ii;iv 2009 f EUR 26.40 EUR 23 EUR 135 5
Price in euros 1 tablet XTC ii 2009 e EUR 3.80; EUR 6.20 EUR 3 EUR 15.90 5
Price in euros per gram amphetamine ii 2009 e EUR 9.50; EUR 11.60 EUR 8 EUR 41.80 5
Purity (%) cocaine iii 2009   51.3% 18 % 51.3 % 5
Purity (%) heroin (brown) iii       12.9 % 37 % 5
Potency (%) cannabis resin iii;v 2009   10.6 % 2.9 % 17.3 % 5
Potency (%) cannabis herb iii 2009   9.9 % 1.3 % 12.4 % 5

Notes

i As percentage of all drug law offences reported.

ii When available, country provides minimum, maximum, mean, median and modal (most frequent) price in euros recorded. This table shows the mean price in euros.

iii When available, country provides minimum, maximum, mean, median and modal (most frequent) purity/potency (percentage). This table shows the mean purity/potency (percentage).

iv The minimum value in the European range refers to the mean price.

v The maximum value in the European range refers to the mean potency.

0 Most recent available data shown. Any data prior to 2005 not shown.

1 2005 to 2009 data.

2 2007 to 2009 data.

3 2008 to 2009 data.

4 2006 to 2009 data.

5 2009 data.

a Data refer only to Flemish Community.

b Data are not national. Based on samples from Flemish Community and Antwerp.

c Based on number of mentions of cannabis among all drug mentions, whether alone or with other drugs.

d Data do not cover Brussels Capital Region.

e Federal Police and Needles Exchange Programmes respectively.

f Eurotox (Project Prix des drogues en rue).

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Page last updated: Monday, 14 November 2011