The use of psychoactive substances among adolescents in French overseas territories

Levels of use compared with those in mainland France

This briefing paper presents the 2022-2023 EnCLASS results concerning the use of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, and other illicit drugs in Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, and Réunion. It outlines the levels of use among junior high school students, then high school students, by systematically endeavouring to compare the latest prevalences among each of the territories with those of mainland France, and evaluate their development over time.

Guide preventive actions closer to realities

In the current context of the significant development in the prevalence of the use of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis during adolescence, the one-year time lag of the data collection in Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Réunion likely explains some of the differences observed with the data for mainland France. Nevertheless, this data for overseas territories remains valuable - irrespective of the objectives of comparability - for developing and guiding preventive actions as close as possible to realities.