Notes:

Data were not available for the unlisted EU Member States and Romania.

For definitions of reports for drug law offences, refer to Drug law offences – methods and definitions.

(1) In 2000 to 2002, data refer to a number of persons (only the main offence is counted), although the same person could be counted several times if arrested several times during the same year. Before 2000 and since 2003, data refer to a number of offences (each offence is represented as one separate record in the database). These changes are likely to affect comparability across time.

(2) Before 2003, data refer to the total number of use-related reports for different drugs (if different drugs were mentioned for the same offence, then the offence was mentioned several times); from 2003 included, data refer to the total of use-related reports (independently of the number of drugs mentioned); this change is likely to affect comparability across time.

(3) Calculated on arrests for presumed offences against the 1973 drug law.

(4) The law only distinguishes between small and large quantities. Thus cases of possession and small-scale trafficking have been considered as 'use/possession for use' and cases of possession and trafficking of large quantities as 'dealing/trafficking',

(5) Since the decriminalisation of drug use/possession for use in July 2001, such offences are reported through a different monitoring system; although data from the latter are taken into consideration here (from mid-2001 and onwards), caution is required when comparing data before and after 2001 (2001 data should be taken with even more caution as the new information system on offences for drug use/possession was being tested for the first time).

(6) 2002 data refer only to police data, while after 2002 data refer to all data reported by the main prosecuting authorities (police, gendarmerie, customs); this change is likely to affect comparability across time.

See also 'General notes for interpreting data' on the Explanatory notes and help page.

Source:

Reitox national focal points.