Drug use in Belgium - Statistics & Facts
Over the last ten years, the overall number of drug-related crimes increased in Belgium. In 2018, the Belgian Federal Police registered over 58 thousand drug-related crimes. Although it is impossible to assess the full extent of drug trafficking, figures provided by the Belgian authorities do paint a general picture. From 2008 to 2019, cases of drug imports and exports decreased steadily. Nonetheless, over 44 thousand kilograms of cocaine and less than 2 thousand kilograms of cannabis were seized by Belgian authorities in 2017. Although cannabis is seized in much lesser quantities, the frequency was far more than for any other drugs. For instance, while cocaine was the most reported drug in quantity, 4.6 thousand seizures were reported, whereas over 34 thousand were registered for cannabis. Besides, Belgium’s direct neighbor, the Netherlands, counts over a hundred municipalities with coffeeshops where cannabis can be purchased.
