According to a survey by the Ifop polling institute, the proportion of young French people who have consumed hemp at least once has almost doubled in 20 years. The results revealed that 47% of under-25s have ever smoked cannabis. A sign of the trivialization of this drug.
- 47% of young people aged 15 to 24 have smoked cannabis in their lifetime. This figure has almost doubled in 20 years.
- People under 25 would use this drug alone, with friends, at parties, with their partner, or even during their working hours.
- Nitrous oxide, also called “laughing gas” or “proto”, is second only to cannabis.
In 2020, cannabis remained the most experienced illicit drug in France. Nearly half of adults, or 46%, have already consumed it, according to the 2020 health barometer of Public Health France unveiled on December 2 by the French Observatory of Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT).
This product is also widely acclaimed by young people. And for good reason, 47% of young people aged 15 to 24 have already smoked cannabis in their lifetime. This figure has almost doubled in 20 years. “If we refer to the population of this age group in France (7.61 million), there are therefore more than 3.5 million young people who have already experienced this drug, in the form of grass, resin or oil”can we read in a poll carried out by the Ifop polling institute for the cannabidiol society or CBD High Society. This survey, the results of which were published on December 1, was conducted among 1,205 people. Participants completed an online questionnaire from November 10 to 15, 2021.
Trivialization of cannabis among young people
These results show that the use of cannabis has become considerably commonplace over the past two decades. “Confirmed by successive studies conducted on the issue, the ease of obtaining the product most likely induces in young consumers the feeling that cannabis, if not authorized, is more or less tolerated”, indicates the poll. Nearly half of the young consumers surveyed explained that they obtained cannabis from their friends. As for the rest, they bought it from their classmates or a previously known drug dealer.
A large proportion (88%) of those under 25 would use this drug with friends or at parties. But the latter would also smoke hemp in other contexts. The survey revealed that 51% of them who have been in a relationship have already smoked cannabis in the company of their partner. More worrying: two out of five young people have already consumed this product alone. Some young people have also declared having used this drug before or during their working hours.
The consumption of “hard” drugs is no longer so marginal
In the ranking of the various drugs most consumed by young people, nitrous oxide, more commonly known as “laughing gas” or “proto”, is in second position. If it remains at levels much lower than cannabis, the consumption of so-called “hard” drugs, such as cocaine, heroin or even amphetamines, also affects more and more people under 25 years of age.
According to the survey, three-quarters of cannabis users have already been exposed to a drug prevention campaign. “On the other hand, these were ineffective for a majority because only 29% of the young people concerned reduced or stopped their consumption following one of these campaigns. An effect not commensurate with the public health problem represented by drugs among young, therefore, but an effect that is not totally zero”, concluded the investigation.
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