Levels of illegal drug use in France in 2023

Cannabis use on the rise

In 2023, the proportion of those experimenting with cannabis continued to rise and now equates to more than half of the French population aged 18 to 64. On the other hand, other indicators of cannabis use related to current use did not increase between 2017 and 2023, with the exception of those concerning older adults (55-64 years old). Today, cannabis use remains a phenomenon among younger generations (more than 30% of adolescents aged 17 had already used it in 2022).

• Cannabis use is on the rise among older age groups while declining among younger people.
• Cannabis use in the past 12 months affected 10.8% of adults, a figure that has remained stable for about ten years.

Other narcotics are on the rise

The use of illicit drugs other than cannabis, which had stabilised between 2014 and 2017, showed sharply rising levels of use in 2023, regardless of the psychoactive substance, particularly stimulants. Almost one in ten adults has used powder cocaine at least once in their lifetime, and one in twelve has used MDMA. These increases are taking place against a backdrop of increased drug availability, both in France and across Europe.