Drug use in adolescence: trends reported in 2022

Alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis: a drop in the age of life-time use and a continuing decline in use

In 2022, experimentation with tobacco and alcohol, and to a lesser extent with cannabis, still begins in the first years of middle school, despite the significant drop in the age of initiation.

While tobacco and cannabis use continue to decline during adolescence, the consumption of alcoholic beverages remains widespread among teenagers in 2022.

Similarly, the relatively high level of heavy episodic drinking (HED), measured for the first time in 2022 among 8^th and 9^th grade students, reflects the specific role of alcohol among the youngest: HED affects 14.6% of 8^th grade and 9^th grade students. One in three high school students (34.5%) reported HED.

Perception of easy access to drugs increases with school level

Half of the 12^th grade students believe that it would be very easy for them to obtain alcohol and cigarettes if they so wished (49.7% and 45.3% respectively), compared to 1 in 5 students in 9^th grade (17.7% and 15.4% respectively).

Electronic cigarettes (“e-cigarettes”) use on the rise

The popularity of e-cigarettes, observed in recent years in the results of the ESCAPAD survey and the EnCLASS 2021 survey, is being confirmed, particularly among younger people.