Detailed wastewater study shows how illicit drug use changes due to major public events and police seizures in England

MedicalXpress | avr. 27, 2026

A year-long analysis of England's wastewater shows how recreational drug use spiked with major sporting and music events, heat waves and bank holidays, with widespread drops in usage linked to major drug seizures by police. The work, led by a team at Imperial College London's School of Public Health, is believed to be one of the most detailed studies of its kind to measure drug consumption in a single country, and involved researchers analyzing more than 1,700 water samples from 15 wastewater treatment sites across England over the course of a year (2022).