Cannabis (resin, herb, oil, CBD) – Overview

Introduction/Background

Cannabis is a plant with many different uses of which certain varieties have neuropharmacological effects essentially due to the 100-odd cannabinoids the plant contains, such as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Internationally, it is classified as a narcotic drug.

In France, it is consumed in three main forms. Herb (leaves, stems and dried flowering tips) and resin (hashish) are the most common. While the oil (and other extracted substances popularised by the North American legal markets in which THC is concentrated) are much less found. Herbal cannabis and hashish are smoked in the form of a “joint” (i.e. with tobacco, in the form of a rolled cigarette).

Other means of consumption are also observed on the fringes: cannabis can be smoked in a shisha pipe (hookah) and other more or less home-made water pipes, smoked, or even vaped (with the use of a vaporising device, either hand-held or fixed) to avoid the toxic effects of combustion. Even more rarely, cannabis can also be ingested, included in food preparations (space-cakes) or drunk (infusions), or used in the form of ointments, essential oils, or cosmetics.

Production/Supply

Seizures

The French market for cannabis is one of the biggest in Europe in terms of consumption (5 million users per year in France, out of 22 million in the European Union) as with its turnover (€1.2 billion in 2017).

In 2022, seizure of herbal cannabis reached one of the highest levels ever registered, with 41 tonnes (after the record quantity of 2020 of 46.3 tonnes). Herbal cannabis therefore represents nearly a third of the total seizures of cannabis (32% in 2022 compared with 6% in 2012). The growing size of the market for herbal cannabis in France points to the increasing amount of cannabis cultivation, more notably in the overseas territories. In 2022, 56% of the cannabis plants seized were in overseas territories, in particular French Polynesia. It is to be noted, however, that the number of plants seized, i.e. 76 807, is the lowest since 2010. In 2021, 101 771 plants were seized in French territory.

The market for cannabis resin, nevertheless, remains dynamic. In 2022, 87.6 tonnes of resin were seized in France, as opposed to 72.4 tonnes in 2021 and 50.3 tonnes in 2020 (year characterised by the effects of closing the borders between Morocco and the European Union as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic). The overall seizures of resin and herb, amounting to 128.6 tonnes marks the highest level ever registered in France.

• Addictions in France during the spring 2020 lockdown (March 17^th - May 11^th, 2020). State of play and initial results of the Cannabis online survey. Tendances n°139, 2020, 8 p.
• Cannabis sales revenue in France. A new direct estimate by expenditure. Tendances n°137, 2020, 6 p. 

Cannabis supply modes

At adolescence (at 17 years old), the majority of cannabis users (67.1%) claim they obtain their cannabis for free, by way of a gift or shared consumption. Then, the network of friends or relatives (56.9%) constitutes the second most common source of purchase, followed by a drug dealer, whether a usual supplier (44.8%) or an unknown person (30.5%). Home-grown cannabis was admitted by 7.2% of current users while purchase over the internet remains marginal (2.2%).

In 2017, 7.0% of adults declaring they had consumed cannabis within the past month (or 6.4% of 18–64-year-olds) stated that they indulged in home-growing with or without additional purchases.

Observed since 2010, first in Paris and then throughout the metropolitan regions, drugs home-deliveries increased widely during the lockdown resulting from the Covid-19 health crisis. In 2022, this phenomenon continued to expand, dealers making trips of dozens of kilometres to supply clients in middle-size towns, and even little villages. This supply method entails the possible delivery of large quantities (several hundred grams) while avoiding the risk of police detection.

• Changes in the cannabis market in France. OFDT report, 2019, 34 p.
• Psychoactive substances, users and markets in France in 2022. Tendances n°160, 2023, 8 p.

Potency and price

The current retail price for a gram of herbal cannabis, according to the Anti-Narcotics Office of the Ministry of the Interior (OFAST data), is approximately €10. Between 2010 and 2020, the price of a gram of herbal cannabis increased by more than 30% in constant Euro (increasing from €7.60 to €10).

The current retail price of cannabis resin remains stable at about €8 per gram. However, since 2010, it increased by 60% in constant Euros (increasing from €5 to €8).

The average THC content of cannabis resin has more than doubled in ten years, increasing from 12.3% in 2011 to 30% in 2022, whereas in the same period, that of herbal cannabis has risen 34.6% (from 10.4% in 2011 to 14.0% in 2022).

The varieties and forms of cannabis available has diversified. Some, with a higher concentration of active ingredients than the substances usually on offer (rare varieties of herb, resins obtained by special extraction methods, for example using chemical solvents), are sold at a higher price (from €15 to €30 per gram).

• Annual 2022 results of the composition of psychoactive products circulating in France (SINTES update No. 9). OFDT briefing paper, 2023, 18 p.

Use in the adolescent population

Among college and high school students

Cannabis is the first illicit substance used by adolescents. In 2022, 5.3% of middle school students of the 8^th and 9^th grades stated having already used cannabis. This proportion doubled between these two grades, increasing from 3.5% to 7.0%. Boys experiment with it more often than girls.

In 2022, the spread of cannabis initiated in middle schools has rapidly increased in high schools (22.5% of lifetime use), a decline as compared with the 2018 level (33.1%). Experimenting with this product, involved 16.2% of pupils in the tenth grade and doubling in the twelfth grade (31.2%). At high school, use is more widespread amongst boys (24.0%) than amongst girls (21.1%), as is the case for use in the last month (12.0% vs. 9.2%).

• Psychoactive substance use among middle school and high school students: results of the EnCLASS 2022 survey. OFDT briefing paper, 2024, 17 p.

At 17 years old

In 2022, three out of ten 17-year-olds have already smoked cannabis during their lifetime (29.9%). This prevalence is the lowest ever measured since 2000 in the Survey on Health and Drug Use on National Defence and Citizenship Day (ESCAPAD); it is lower by 9 points to that of 2017 and by 20 points by comparison with 2002, when half of adolescents stated they experimented with it. The higher the frequency of use, the more likely it is to be used by men, particularly in terms of regular use, which can double between girls and boys (2.2% vs. 5.3%). This general decline of cannabis use between 2017 and 2022 can be noted both amongst boys and girls.

On the regional scale, levels of cannabis use at age 17 vary significantly between regions: youth in regions in the Atlantic sector and around the Mediterranean coast use more and those of the North-East use less. Therefore, from lifetime use to recent use, the prevalence of use is at its lowest in Hauts-de-France and the highest in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, lifetime use varying from 23.2% to 37.4% of young people aged 17 years. Use during the past twelve months increased from 18.7% to 29.3% and during the past thirty days from 10.1% to 18.3%. Regular and daily users are more frequently found in Nouvelle-Aquitaine (5.6% and 2.7% respectively) and least frequently found in Normandy (2.0% and 0.8% respectively).

• Drug use in French 17-year-olds: analysis of the 2022 ESCAPAD survey. Tendances n°155, 2023, 8 p.
• Drugs at 17: regional analyses of the 2022 ESCAPAD survey. OFDT report, 2024, 66 p. 

In comparison with other European countries

Two international surveys, Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC), and European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD) make it possible to compare France with most other European countries for youth aged 11, 13, 15, and 16. Amongst the latter, daily smoking halved in 20 years, declining from 31% in 1999 to 12% in 2019. This steady decline in cigarette consumption fits in with a majority trend in Europe. This decrease in tobacco smoking constitutes the most striking development in overall psychoactive substance use observed in a quarter of a century amongst adolescents.

• 20 years of developments in drug use among adolescents in Europe. Tendances n°143, 2021, 8 p.

Use in the adult population

Cannabis is by far the most consumed illicit substance in France. In 2021, 47.3% of adults aged between 18 and 64 years of age stated having consumed cannabis during their life. Current use (during the year), on the other hand, remained stable and involved 10.6% of those aged 18-64 years (14.2% amongst men and 7.2% of women). Since the first use takes place mainly between the ages of 18 and 25 years and the proportion of those experimenting with cannabis peaks at between the ages of 26 and 34 years regardless of their sex, the use of cannabis remains a generational phenomenon. Current consumption still involves the youngest people (23.5% of those aged 18-24). While it then decreases with age, the profile of consumers begins to diversify, involving more forty-year-olds. 

• Cannabis use in the French adult population in 2021. Tendances n°153, 2022, 4 p.

In comparison with other European countries

The level of consumption of cannabis in 2021 amongst residents of the European Union aged from 15 to 34 years is estimated at 15.4%, rising from 3.4% in Hungary to 21.8% in France. Amongst the youngest (aged 15 to 24 years old), the prevalence of cannabis use in Europe appears highest with 19.2% users during the past year and 10.3% during the past month

•  European Drug Report 2023: Trends and Developments. EMCDDA, 2023

Impacts

The neuropsychological effects of smoked cannabis appear about 15 to 20 minutes after inhalation amongst occasional users, a little later for a regular user. Consuming cannabis generally entails moderate euphoria and a feeling of well-being, followed by sleepiness, but also a weakening of short-term memory and impaired concentration. Depending on the dose taken and user tolerance, consuming cannabis may entail slower reaction time, difficulty in completing tasks and motor co-ordination which increases risks associated with driving. Taking cannabis, moreover, accelerates the effects of alcohol.

In the medium term, cannabis use may cause a decrease in capacity of memorising and learning. Regular or intensive consumption may lead to a carelessness in day-to-day activities, to physical and mental fatigue, impairment of concentration and memorising and depressive moods. Regular cannabis use can also aggravate certain psychiatric disorders. Lastly, problematic use and cannabis dependence are now well documented, and the risks are higher when use starts earlier.

To better understand and measure problematic use, particularly at adolescence, the OFDT has developed a rating scale: the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST) corresponding to the main criteria for determination of abuse and harmful use revealed by the diagnostics of DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4^th edition) and the ICD 10 (International Classification of Diseases – 10^th version). In 2022, with respect to CAST, 4.8% of adolescents aged 17 years may be liable to run a higher risk of problematic cannabis use.

Consequences on morbidity and mortality

Studies show the impact of cannabis use on health in several areas: road accidents, certain cancers, certain pathologies of blood circulation and respiratory diseases, and certain mental pathologies. Effects can be linked to cannabis’ main active ingredient (delta-9-THC) or even substances resulting from combustion (tars). In terms of treatment, cannabis users account for 17% of the admissions to specialised drug treatment centres (CSAPA), equivalent to almost 27 000 outpatient admissions in 2021.

• Statistics on people receiving care in specialised drug treatment centres in 2021. OFDT briefing paper, 2024, 21 p.

Perceptions/opinions

Perception in the general population

In 2018, almost one in two French people (48% vs. 54% in 2013) considered cannabis as dangerous from the first time of use. This proportion was noticeably lower amongst persons who had experimented with cannabis (33% vs. 57% amongst those who admitted having taken it).

Opinions regarding public policies

In 2018, a majority of the population continued to be opposed to the free sale of cannabis (62%), even though opinions on the legal status of cannabis differed. Ten years before, in 2008, the proportion of negative opinions relating to the legalisation of cannabis for non-medical use was noticeably stronger (85%). On the other hand, a large majority believes in the authorisation of cannabis use under certain conditions: thus, 91% of those surveyed agree with the principle of availability of a prescription for cannabis for treating certain diseases.

When asked about penal responses to cannabis use and possession, French people generally (82%) lean more towards care (treatment obligations) or drug warning measures. A majority approves the drug awareness courses (54% compared with 68% in 2013), intended for occasional non-dependant users of narcotics to dissuade them from subsequent offences. The possibility provided for by law of a monetary fine continues to divide opinion in two equal parts (50%), whereas belief in the idea of prison sentences is losing ground (23% vs. 36%).

• Drugs: perceptions of substances, public policies and users. Tendances n°131, 2019, 8 p. 

Legal framework and recent public guidelines

Cannabis is a narcotic substance, and its use is prohibited, in accordance with the 31 December 1970 French law on narcotics, whose provisions have been included in the Penal Code and the Public Health Code. The purchase, consumption, possession, donation, resale, cultivation (at home or outside), transport and driving after consumption, are all breaches of the law, leading potentially to heavy penalties before the courts, whatever the quantity of cannabis involved. The fines are doubled if the cannabis is sold or given to minors. Narcotic trafficking has been the object of heavy penalties which have become stricter since the end of the 1980s; penalties incurred may even involve life imprisonment and a fine of €7.5 million.

Since the law of 3 February 2003, any person driving after use of substances classified as narcotics is liable for two years’ imprisonment and a fine of €4 500. If the person is also found to be under the influence of alcohol (more than 0.5 g per litre of blood), the sentences are increased to three years imprisonment and a fine of €9 000. Compliance checks by screening for drug use can be undertaken by the police or the gendarmerie services.

Since 2019, in terms of Article L.3421-1 of the Public Health Code, the illicit use of narcotics may result in a criminal fixed fine (Articles 495-17 to 495-25 of the Criminal Procedure Code). An adult arrested while using narcotics or in possession of small quantities, may receive a fixed fine of €200 immediately imposed by the police or gendarmes.

Faced with an increase in drug-use cases since the 2000s, criminal responses have been systematised and have diversified. Criminal proceedings of drug users who are arrested is becoming increasingly rapid and focussed on financial penalties to the detriment of health-care measures. The widespread introduction of the criminal fixed fine since September 2020 has reinforced this tendency to refocus sanctions on the financial aspect.

Lastly, in March 2021, France has launched a trial for the medical use of cannabis. Clinical trials include five therapeutic indications: neuropathic pain refractory to available treatments, certain forms of severe drug-resistant epilepsy, certain persistent oncology symptoms, certain palliative situations and painful spasticity related to certain central nervous system diseases. This trial will be assessed before possible roll-out.

• Fifty years of penal response to drug use (1970-2020). Tendances n°144, 2021, 8 p.
• 30 years of penal response to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Tendances n°161, 2024, 8 p.

In comparison with other European countries

• Legislation relating to cannabis use and possession: definitions and overview of the situation in Europe. OFDT briefing paper, 2016, 10 p.

To go further

• Ivana Obradovic, Deputy Director of OFDT, presents recent trends in cannabis use in France, and how France compares with other European countries. She then describes how cannabis legislation has evolved in recent times, and what hindsight we have to date on foreign legalisation experiments.

• Stanislas Spilka, head of the OFDT's DATA unit comments on alcohol, tobacco and cannabis uses among young and adults in France in the last 25 years. The three products' dynamics are quite divergent: tobacco smoking has declined but new patterns of alcohol consumption appeared and cannabis use increased gradually.