June 26 marks world day against drug abuse and trafficking, an opportunity to take stock of the evolution of French drug consumption. In this context, the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Tendencies (OFDT) revealed the results of his last investigation on representations, opinions and perceptions on psychotropic drugs (EROPP), conducted in 2023 thanks to a questionnaire submitted to more than 12,000 people aged 18 to 64. These new figures make it possible to draw up the current picture of the consumption of different types of drugs in France.
Cannabis remains the most consumed illicit drug in France
According to the results of the survey, “for three decades, cannabis remains the most consumed illicit drug in France and its diffusion has continued to progress”. Indeed, in 2023, half of adults have already used cannabis. Experimentation with this drug is therefore constantly increasing, going from 12.7% in 1992 to 50.4% in 2023. Nevertheless, cannabis use over the last 12 months has remained stable around 10% since 2014. The authors also argue that cannabis use is increasing in older groups but decreasing among younger people.
But beyond cannabis, the survey points to the increase in the consumption of other illicit drugs: “in 2023, 14.6% of adults aged 18 to 64 have already used an illicit drug other than cannabis at least once, a relative increase of 50% compared to 2017”. Indeed, the authors note that experimentation and use of cocaine are sharply increasing: nearly one in ten adults have already consumed cocaine at least once. “In 2023, almost one in ten adults (9.4%) used cocaine at least once during their life, compared to 5.6% in 2017, the largest increase in number of points (+3.8) measured among all illicit substances in the recent period.”, they write. Furthermore, with 2.7% users in the year, Cocaine is the second most consumed illicit drug in France.
Drugs: how to explain the increase in cocaine consumption in France?
According to the authors of the survey, this increase in cocaine consumption in France can be explained by a combination of factors. “Among these factors we can cite greater availability, but also a perception of dangerousness cocaine which is decreasing, and a diversification of motivations to consume, for example to try to cope with difficult working conditions”, indicated Guillaume Airagnes, director of the OFDT, in a press release.
Furthermore, cocaine is not the only drug which has seen its consumption increase in France in recent years. According to the survey, experimentation with MDMA (or ecstasy) increased from 5.0% in 2017 to 8.2% in 2023 and its current use has doubled over the same period. As for the other drugs studied, the authors report that “experimentation levels remain below 5%, even if increases are noted between 2017 and 2023: 4.6% of adults under 65 have already taken you LSD4.3% of amphetamines, 2.0% of heroin and 1.4% of crack”.
Sources :
- Levels of illicit drug use in France in 2023 – Trends – June 2024
- Levels of illicit drug use in France in 2023 – French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Trends – June 26, 2024
