Wastewater analysis: estimating drug consumption, 2021 to 2026
Updated 2021 to 2026 trends for 6 key drugs, plus phase 3 (August 2024 to March 2026) regional consumption patterns and detections of 18 additional drugs.
Applies to England and Scotland
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This report presents the latest findings from the Wastewater Analysis for Narcotics Detection (WAND) programme. It updates the 2021 to 2026 trend analysis for 6 key drugs: cocaine, ketamine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDMA, and heroin.
The trend analysis is based on samples from 16 English sites monitored consistently since 2021. Cocaine remained the most consumed of the 6 key drugs, while estimated ketamine consumption decreased by 11% between 2025 and 2026 after several years of sustained growth.
For phase 3, from August 2024 to March 2026, the report updates regional patterns of relatively high or low estimated consumption across all monitored sites. For the first time, it also reports where and when 18 additional drugs, beyond the 6 key drugs, were detected during phase 3.