Cannabis is by far the most commonly used illicit substance in France. Among people aged 15–64, 32.1% have tried it at least once, and 8.4% report having used it in the past year. In Europe, France is thus one of the countries with the highest levels of use, across all age groups. Men report using cannabis significantly more often than women, and this gap tends to widen as usage levels increase. Over the past two decades, the proportion of the population that has tried cannabis has continued to rise, driven by a widespread trend of experimentation with cannabis among young people. However, levels of use within the past year have remained fairly stable since 2000. Experimentation is rare upon entering middle school (1.5% in 6th grade) but increases in subsequent years (11% of 8th graders, 24% of 9th graders). Early onset of cannabis use is a precursor to continued use and future problems. While young people from affluent backgrounds are more likely to experiment than those from lower-income backgrounds, more regular cannabis use is associated with disrupted academic trajectories (repeating a grade, vocational track, dropping out, leaving school) and the low socioeconomic status of their families. Young people from affluent backgrounds do indeed have greater sociocultural resources to control and regulate their use and are more often aware of their best interest in not slipping into problematic use. [author’s abstract]