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8h ago

France Falls Below EU Average as Teen Smoking and Drug Use Plummet

Despite the drop, heavy episodic drinking among 16-year-olds remains common at 22%.

Les plus jeunes auraient une attention plus marquée portée au corps et une préoccupation pour la santé qui expliqueraient en partie la baisse de la consommation de drogues et d’alcool (photo d’illustration).
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La consommation de tabac, d'alcool et de cannabis des adolescents de 16 ans a drastiquement diminué en France sur la dernière décennie, à l'instar des jeunes Européens, selon l'Observatoire français des drogues et des toxicomanies (OFDT)

Overview

  • New OFDT findings from the ESPAD 2024 survey show France now ranks below the European average on all indicators of substance use among 16-year-olds.
  • Daily cigarette smoking fell from 16% in 2015 to 3.1% in 2024, and tobacco experimentation stood at 20%, among the lowest levels in Europe.
  • Cannabis experimentation dropped from about 31% in 2015 to 8.4% in 2024, and experimentation with other illicit drugs declined from 7.5% to 3.9%, below the EU average of 5%.
  • About seven in ten French 16-year-olds had tried alcohol in 2024, and heavy episodic drinking remained significant at 22%, compared with roughly 30% in about half of participating countries.
  • The cross-national ESPAD survey questioned more than 113,000 European teens, including 3,376 in France, with OFDT analysts citing denormalization of smoking and higher tobacco prices as likely contributors to the declines.