Cocaine use continues to rise in Finland: THL study

Cocaine use has increased in almost all parts of Finland, according to the latest wastewater study commissioned by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

The results of the extensive national study on drug use based on samples collected in March 2026 in 32 cities and their surrounding areas covered about 65% of Finland’s population, said THL in a press release on Thursday.

According to the study, cocaine use has increased for more than a decade and has continued to increase in almost all parts of the country. Cocaine use is highest in the large cities of southern Finland.

“Cocaine use has increased in Finland throughout the entire measurement period, in other words since 2012, and the upward trend has remained strong. Use is still highest in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, but the largest changes are now being seen elsewhere in Finland,” said Aino Kankaanpää, Development Manager of THL.

Kankaanpää, however, said that at the same time, ecstasy use appears to be decreasing and amphetamine use remains relatively consistent across the country, and on average no dramatic changes have been observed in recent years.

Meanwhile, the use of alpha-PVP remained heavily concentrated in southern and western Finland, particularly in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. The increase in its use has levelled off, but use appears to have stabilised at a relatively high level.

“The increase in alpha-PVP use seen in recent years has levelled off in many areas, but use remains at a high level, particularly in and around the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Its use is heavily concentrated in southern and western Finland. By contrast, only small amounts of alpha-PVP were detected sporadically, or none at all, in several cities in northern and eastern Finland,” said Teemu Gunnar, Team Manager for Forensic Toxicology of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

In addition to the largest cities in southern and western Finland, alpha-PVP was detected regularly on every day of the week in wastewater studies conducted in Salo, Vihti, Hämeenlinna, Jyväskylä, Porvoo, Nokia, Lahti, Pori, Huittinen, Mikkeli and Joensuu.

By contrast, no measurable amounts of the substance were detected in several cities in eastern and northern Finland.

According to the monitoring, the use of alpha-PVP, like that of other designer drugs, is typically subject to greater temporal and regional variation than the use of more traditional illicit drugs.

Alpha-PVP is the most common new psychoactive substance in Finland and the one that has been widely used for intoxicating purposes for the longest period. Alpha-PVP was classified as an illicit drug in Finland at the end of 2013.

Amphetamine is the most widely used stimulant drug in most parts of the country. On average, amphetamine use has remained relatively stable in recent years.