Price and purity information (PPP)

• Methods and definitions

Overview of the data

The tables in the bulletin and associated graph in the section deal with drug price, potency and purity; tables and graphics include data from the EU Member States, Turkey and Norway. The tables in this section provide an overview of drug prices and drug purity/potency at retail level for major drug types of interest in 2005 (cannabis, heroin, cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, ecstasy and LSD).

Tables PPP-1 to PPP-4 show reported drug prices at retail level by country, where data are available, for the major drug types of interest in 2005. Part (i) of each table gives minimum, maximum, mean and modal (typical) prices in euros for 2005 and part (ii) of the table gives the names of the sources of information of the data provided in part (i).

Tables PPP-5 to PPP-8 show reported drug purity/potency at retail level (where available: see part (iii)) by country, where data are available, for the major drug types of interest in 2005. Part (i) of each table gives minimum, maximum, mean and modal (typical) purity/potency in % for 2005; part (ii) of the table gives the sources of information of the data provided in part (i); and part (iii) of the table gives information on the type of sampling and the type of study, both of which affect data provided in part (i).

Figure PPP-1 shows reported information on national street-level mean prices for each drug in the EU Member States and Norway, weighted by country population sizes to form an overall EU trend. Prices have been adjusted for national inflation rates (base year 2000) and all series indexed to a base of 100 in 2000.

Summary points

Cannabis

• In 2005, the average (mean, typical) retail price of both cannabis resin and herbal cannabis varied both between and within countries, with the majority of countries reporting prices for cannabis products of between EUR 4 and EUR 10 per gram (see Table PPP-1). Mean prices of cannabis resin, corrected for inflation, fell over the period 2000–2005 in all 19 countries reporting sufficient information except Poland, where prices remained stable. Mean prices of herbal cannabis, corrected for inflation, also decreased or remained stable over the same period in all 19 countries reporting sufficient information, except Slovenia.
• In 2005, the reported average (mean and typical) THC content of cannabis resin at retail level was reported to vary from 1% to 17%. Herbal cannabis potency was reported to range from less than 1% to just over 15%. It is not possible to distinguish between domestically produced herbal cannabis in the data available; however, the Netherlands was able to produce an estimate of 17.7% for locally produced herbal cannabis (see Table PPP-5).

Heroin

• Most countries reported average (mean, typical) street price of brown heroin in 2005 in the range of EUR 35–80 per gram (see Table PPP-2). Between 2000 and 2005, mean heroin prices, corrected for inflation, appear to have decreased in most of the 18 countries with sufficient information.
• The average (mean, typical) purity of brown heroin at street level was reported in 2005 to vary considerably, with most countries reporting values between 15% and 50%; figures for white heroin tended to be higher (30–70 %), where it was available (see Table PPP-6). The mean purity of heroin products has been fluctuating in most reporting countries since 2000 (in 18 countries reporting sufficient information over 2000-2005).

Cocaine

• In 2005, the average (mean, typical) retail price of cocaine varied widely across Europe, from EUR 45 to EUR 120 per gram, with most countries reporting prices of EUR 50–80 per gram (see Table PPP-3). The mean prices of cocaine, corrected for inflation, showed an overall downward trend over the period 2000–2005 in most of the 19 countries reporting sufficient information.
• The average (mean and typical) purity of cocaine at user level varied in 2005 from 20% to 78%, with most countries reporting purities of 30–60% (see Table PPP-7). Data available over 2000–2005 indicate an overall decrease in the mean purity of cocaine in most of the 21 countries reporting sufficient information.

Amphetamine

• In 2005, the average (mean, typical) retail price of amphetamine ranged from EUR 7 per gram to EUR 37.5 per gram, with most European countries reporting prices between EUR 10-20 per gram (see Table PPP-4). Over the period 2000–2005, mean amphetamine prices, corrected for inflation, decreased in most of the 17 countries reporting sufficient information.
• The average (mean, typical) retail purity of amphetamine in 2005 varied from 2% to 84%, but most European countries reported purities between 15% and 50% (see Table PPP-8).

Methamphetamine

• The average (mean, typical) retail price of methamphetamine (reported by a few countries only) varied in 2005 between EUR 5 and EUR 35 per gram (see Table PPP-4). Methamphetamine average (mean, typical) retail purity ranged from 0.7% to 77%, but most countries reported purities between 30–65% (see Table PPP-8).

Ecstasy

• In 2005, the average (mean, typical) retail cost of ecstasy tablets ranged from less than EUR 3 per tablet to EUR 15 (see Table PPP-4). Over 2000–2005, mean retail prices of ecstasy, corrected for inflation, fell in most of the 21 countries reporting sufficient data. In 2005, the average (mean, typical) content of MDMA per ecstasy tablet ranged from 2 to 130 mg in reporting countries, although in most countries the average was between 30–80 mg of MDMA (see Table PPP-8).

LSD

• In 2005, the average (mean, typical) cost to users of a unit of LSD ranged from EUR 4 to EUR 30 (see Table PPP-4). Although the mean price of LSD, corrected for inflation and taking into account national population sizes, has been slightly decreasing at European level over 2000–2005 (see Figure PPP-1), national trends are somehow diverging (in the 10 countries reporting sufficient information).

Page last updated: Tuesday, 20 March 2012