Cannabis in France: the number of daily users reached a record high in 2018

Santé Publique France (SPF) and the French Observatory on Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT) have just released the figures from the 2017 Health Barometer on the use of illicit psychoactive substances in France. The survey was conducted among a sample of approximately 20,000 people aged 18 to 64.

The results were reported by an article from *Le Monde* which is titled: «There have never been so many regular cannabis users in France. Figures from the 2017 Health Barometer confirm the failure of repressive policies.».

Survey Results

The survey reveals new societal trends regarding cannabis use, including an increase in daily use. While occasional use (at least once a year) has not really changed since 2014, daily use, on the other hand, has never been more important. This represents 2.2% of the adult population (ages 18 to 64), or, according to Le Monde’s calculations, more than 800,000 people. Three years earlier, only 1.7% of adults aged 18 to 64 used cannabis daily.

In general, cannabis use has become quite commonplace. The proportion of French people who had smoked a joint at least once in their lives was 12.7% in 1992 and 23.6% in 2000. Today, nearly one in two French people (44.8%) admit to having used cannabis at some point. The survey results also reveal that regular cannabis use is found across all segments of the population.

The 2017 figures show that there is a Regular consumption among people over 25. In 2000, 2.2 % of 26- to 34-year-olds and 0.9 % of 35- to 44-year-olds smoked at least ten times a month. By 2017, these proportions had nearly tripled: 6.3 % of those aged 26–34 and 3.3 % of those aged 35–44 now use cannabis at this frequency. The study suggests that this indicates «cannabis use is no longer the exclusive domain of younger generations and continues after people enter the workforce.».

Escapad, another OFDT survey of 17-year-olds, published last February, reveals that this age group is experimenting with cannabis less and less. Specifically, for the first time since 2000, experimentation has fallen below the 40 % mark (39.1 %).

The Government Going Against the Grain

As cannabis use becomes more commonplace in France, The French Parliament has just passed the flat-rate fine for the offense of drug use, including cannabis. This €200 fine, intended to penalize the use or possession of narcotics in public, is yet another tool added to a very extensive arsenal of repressive measures, which has not proven particularly effective since 1970.

The government has also already postponed the «2018–2022 National Action Plan Against Addiction»—which is intended to outline strategies for addressing tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use—three times. The new date for its implementation has not yet been announced.