Addictions: consumption of cigarettes, alcohol and cannabis down among children under 17

Smoking is decreasing among children under 17. 46.5% of 17-year-olds have already smoked at least one cigarette, i.e. 13% of less than in 2017, according to the conclusions of a study by the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Trends. The trend is even more marked for alcohol. One in five teenagers say they have never drunk alcohol, up from one in ten in 2017. As for cannabis, 29.7% of 17-year-olds have already smoked it in 2022, compared to 39.1% in 2017. A general decline which could be explained by the effect of Covid-19 and confinements.

The success of the electronic cigarette

On the other hand, the study highlights the success of the electronic cigarette. Its use among children under 17 has tripled in five years. On the side of hard drugs such as cocaine, consumption is falling sharply, but the survey acknowledges that it has not yet analyzed the consumption of new synthetic products such as 3-MMC, while some testimonies suggest a phenomenon in the process of emerging.