Spain ranks third worldwide in drug use and first in anxiolytics

Spain, the world's third most drug-fuelled country and leader in anxiolytics

Spain ranks third worldwide in illegal drug use, according to figures circulating in economic forums. But the most striking thing is not the cocaine podium, rather its outright first place in the consumption of anxiolytics and prescription stimulants. A double lead that raises the question of whether the problem is supply or demand.

The double record: illegal and legal

While drug policy focuses on major drug seizures, Spaniards consume more anxiolytics than any other country in the world. The combination of legal pharmaceuticals and illegal drugs puts Spain in an uncomfortable position: it is the third country with the highest overall consumption of narcotic substances, behind only the United States and the United Kingdom. In the ranking by cities, Valencia appears in sixth place nationally, according to some estimates.

Tourism and consumption: an uncomfortable relationship

Part of the analysis points to mass tourism as a catalyst, especially on the Costa del Sol, where money and nightlife fuel the cocaine market. But the profile of the consumer has changed: once associated with the elite, drug use cut with cheap substances has now spread among workers. Sustancia ilegal and basuco, the low-cost versions, are no longer marginal.

From irony to public health alarm

The ironic comments about the 'pride' of making the podium hide a worrying reality: the normalisation of drug use. While the political and media class has spent days 'blind' to the issue —an image reminiscent of televised drug consumption—, Spanish society is accumulating a record nobody wants to claim. The question hanging in the air: when will it stop being a joke and become a public health priority?