BERLIN, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A total of 330,580 drug-related offenses were registered across Germany in 2017, representing a year-on-year increase of 9.2 percent, according to the annual report published by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) on Wednesday.
The number of drug-related offenses has risen for the seventh year in a row, said the BKA.
Out of the total cases, 198,782 were cannabis related offenses, an increase of 11.8 percent year on year. The most significant increase in the number of offenses, however, occurred in cocaine related offenses, a surge of 17.9 percent year on year.
The report warned about the danger of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) which are "often chemically different from conventional narcotics but have a similar psychoactive effect".
NPS are often used as ingredients in consumer products such as herbal blends or bath salts, the so-called "legal highs", however, the report said the potential dangers of NPS and "legal highs" are immense.
Furthermore, the trade in narcotic drugs on the Internet is now well developed and organized as a complementary distribution channel for drugs in Germany, according to the report.