Cannabis use: varying national trends
Across all age groups, cannabis is the illicit drug most likely to be used. The drug is generally smoked and, in Europe, is commonly mixed with tobacco. Patterns of cannabis use can range from the occasional to the regular and dependent.
It is estimated that 87.7 million European adults (aged 15–64), or 26.3 % of this age group, have experimented with cannabis at some time in their lives. Of these, an estimated 17.1 million young Europeans (aged 15–34), or 13.9 % of this age group, used cannabis in the last year, with 10 million of these aged 15–24 (17.7 % of this age group). Last year prevalence rates among 15- to 34-year-olds range from 3.3 % in Romania to 22 % in France. Among young people using cannabis in the last year, the ratio of males to females is two to one.
The most commonly tried drug is cannabis
The most recent survey results show that countries continue to follow divergent paths in last year cannabis use. Of the countries that have produced surveys since 2014 and reported confidence intervals, 7 reported higher estimates, 6 were stable and 2 reported lower estimates than in the previous comparable survey.
Few countries have sufficient survey data to permit statistical analysis of trends in last year use of cannabis among young adults (15–34). Among these, the long-term decreasing trends, previously observed over the last decade in Spain and the United Kingdom, have now stabilised in the more recent data.
Last year prevalence (percent) of cannabis use among young adults (15–34): most recent data (map) and selected trends
In the last decade, an increasing trend can be seen in Ireland and Finland, and also in Sweden, though the prevalence in that country has been stable since 2009. In Germany, France and Denmark, no upward statistical trend is evident during this period, though the latest surveys point to recent increases in last year cannabis use among young adults. In 2014, France reported a new high of 22 %, while the 13 % reported in Germany in 2015 is the highest prevalence of last year cannabis use among young adults reported in that country in the last decade. Among countries lacking sufficient data for a statistical analysis of trends, in 2015, the second comparable annual survey from the Netherlands confirmed a prevalence of around 16 %, while Austria’s first national survey since 2008 reported a prevalence of 14 %.