For many people in Europe, especially emotionally disturbed teens, drugs are their best friends! But, as everyone knows, whether an addict or not, drugs are not good. Though they help people escape their troubles for a while, they lead to long-lasting ill-effects, such as risk of AIDS and hepatitis C. Due to the increasing concerns among relatives and friends about drug abuse by their loved ones, they are rapidly using methods to test the presence of such substances in the body of suspected users.

Thus, with the rising prevalence of drug abuse in the continent, the European drug of abuse (DOA) testing market is predicted to grow to $3.0 billion by 2023, from $1.7 billion revenue in 2017, at a 9.6% CAGR during 2018–2023. Such kits and products can be used to determine the presence of a number of toxicants in the body, including amphetamines, opiates, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, and ecstasy, commonly known as MDMA, which is short for its chemical formula 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine.

Browse detailed report - Europe Drug of Abuse (DOA) Testing Market Analysis and Demand Forecast Report

As per the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Abuse (EMCDDA) in 2019, 17.5 million people in the 15–34 age group were cannabis users. Similarly, 2.6 million used cocaine, 2.1 million were MDMA users, and 1.2 millions used amphetamines. People in this age group, the younger ones especially, go through all kinds of mental stress, caused due to parent and peer pressure, relationships and break-ups, bad grades, childhood trauma, and sexual abuse, which often drives them to drug addiction.

The largest DOA testing market in Europe has been the U.K., and the situation will be the same in the coming years, owing to the growing problem of drug abuse in the kingdom. According to the National Health Service (NHS), in 2018–19, 7,376 people were admitted to the hospital with drug-induced mental and behavioral disorders, which was a 30% increase from the 5,668 admissions reported in 2008–09. Moreover, rising by 16% from 2012–13, the number of hospital admissions due to drug poisoning in the kingdom stood at 18,053 in 2018–19.

Therefore, with the growing issue of DOA usage in Europe, the volume of tests is swiftly rising.