Alcohol, drugs, cannabis… according to a study, these addictions are on the decline among adolescents

Alcool, drogue, cannabis : en recul chez les adolescents

Selon une récente étude, l’âge de l’expérimentation du cannabis, de l’alcool et des cigarettes recule chez les adolescents, avec des chiffres qui restent toutefois élevés notamment concernant la consommation d’alcool. Tandis que l’usage de la cigarette électronique, en hausse, se confirme.

Encouraging results. According to the latest national survey of middle and high schools among adolescents on health and substances (EnCLASS 2022), the age of first experimentation with alcohol, tobacco and cannabis is falling among adolescents. Thus, 43.4% of middle school students declare having already consumed alcohol. They were 60% in 2018. "This experimentation continually increases during schooling, and it concerns almost of three-quarters of final year students (73.9%)", specifies the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Tendencies in a press release published on January 25.< /p>

For the best, but these figures nevertheless show the extent to which alcohol consumption is democratized among young people since nearly one in two middle school students has already experimented with it and 3 in 4 high school students. Episodes of occasional significant alcohol consumption concern 14.6% of 4th and 3rd grade students and 34.5% of high school students. Worrying, since alcohol is particularly toxic for brains that have not yet reached their adult size.

Transition from third to second, a break

For cigarettes, 11.4% of middle school students tried it in 2022, compared to 21.2% in 2018. From sixth to final year, the results increase. "In 6th grade, tobacco experimentation is 4.6%, then experiences a notable increase upon entry to high school, going from 18.8% in 3rd grade to 30.0 % in 2nd year class, i.e. a relative progression of 60%.

Concerning cannabis, the decline in the age of experimentation is less significant. Thus, 5.3% of 4th and 3rd year middle school students have already consumed it at least once in 2022 compared to 6.7% in 2018. "The distribution is expanding significantly during the transition to high school, where 16.2% of 2nd year students say they have already used it and almost one in three students in final year (31.2%)."

Daily electronic cigarette use among middle school students

Alcohol and cigarettes are perceived as being rather easily accessible, much more so than cannabis. 50% of Terminale students believe that it would be very easy for them to obtain alcohol and cigarettes if they wanted to (respectively 49.7% and 45.3%), compared to less of 1 in 5 students in 3rd grade (respectively 17.7% and 15.4%). For cannabis, less than 4% of 4th grade students and 7% of 3rd grade students think it is easy to obtain. The percentage then jumps with 12.3% of Secondary students.

EnCLASS 2022 confirms an increasing use of electronic cigarettes. 1.4% of middle school students vape daily, 3.8% of high school students. This last figure amounted to 2.8 of high school students.