During the first half of 2017, a representative sample of the French population consisting of 20,665 people aged 18 to 64 responded by telephone to a questionnaire on illicit drugs as part of the Santé publique France Health Barometer survey. The analysis of this data, conducted jointly by Santé publique France and the French Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT), makes it possible to measure levels of adult use for various illicit substances: cannabis, as well as other less common substances, notably cocaine and MDMA/ecstasy.The results, presented in the OFDT’s Trends publication1, compare the observed levels with those from the previous survey (2014).

Cannabis

Use remains high

Experimentation: In 2017, cannabis remained by far the most commonly experimented-with illicit substance in France. Nearly half of adults (45%) have used it at least once (42% in 2014). The proportion of users in the past year (11%, or one in ten adults) has not changed since 2014, while the proportion of regular users (at least 10 times a month) has risen from 3.1% to 3.6%. Furthermore, 2.2% of 18- to 64-year-olds report daily use (1.7% in 2014).

The only statistically significant increases relate to experimentation and daily use, and while the observed increases are much smaller than those seen between 2010 and 2014, the 2017 levels are the highest in 25 years.

With a male predominance

In 2017, more than 5 out of 10 men had used cannabis at some point in their lives, compared to fewer than 4 out of 10 women. The gender gap has even widened between the last two surveys regarding regular use.

Use that persists beyond age 25

Cannabis use varies by age and primarily affects younger generations. However, cannabis use in the past year among those over 25 now affects 18% of 26- to 34-year-olds, 9% of 35- to 44-year-olds, and 6% of 45- to 54-year-olds.

Other illicit substances

Experimentation with other illicit substances is much less common

It remains below 6%, even for stimulant drugs, which are the most widely used after cannabis:

• 5.6% for cocaine

• 5.0% for MDMA/ecstasy

Experimentation with other illicit substances (LSD, amphetamines, heroin, crack) remained similar between 2014 and 2017 and did not exceed 3%, except for hallucinogenic mushrooms (5.3%).

Cocaine use over the past year on the rise

According to the 2017 Health Barometer survey, cocaine use over the past year continues to rise significantly: it now stands at 1.6%, a sharp increase over the past two decades. This increase is particularly evident among men (whose annual use rose from 1.5% to 2.3% between 2014 and 2017) and those over 25 years of age.

For more information:

• Levels of illicit drug use in France in 2017