Illicit drug production is on the rise across Europe, the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) has announced.

The report of that institution states that during 2021, 52 new psychoactive substances were discovered.

"Drugs have never been so available and new powerful substances continue to emerge… anyone can be affected, directly or indirectly," said EMCDDA Director Alexis Goosdeel.

New drugs produced in European laboratories include amphetamines and methamphetamines, synthetic opioids and synthetic cannabinoids, the report said.

About 350 drug production facilities were found and destroyed in 2020, mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium, and a record 213 tonnes of cocaine were seized in the European Union, the agency noted, urging European countries to increase drug control.

The report says the conflict in Ukraine and NATO's withdrawal from Afghanistan are likely to affect drug trafficking, exposing more people to drugs, especially those who suffered "serious psychological stress" during the wars.

Given the influx of refugees from Ukraine, health services in border countries are likely to be used at their borders, the statement said.

In Ukraine, the conflict is likely to create new smuggling routes as traffickers seek to "avoid areas with increased security measures," the agency said.