According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), there are at least 219 million cannabis users worldwide. Among them, 13% live in Europe, representing more than 29 million people. The consumption of this so-called “soft” drug has a very significant impact on the European population. Who are the biggest drug users in Europe? According to a report recently published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the number of cannabis users worldwide is around 219 million.Also according to this report, 13% live in Europe, representing 29 million users. The report concludes that this so-called “soft” drug has a very significant impact on this segment of the European population. In other words, cannabis is the most widely used drug in most European countries, including France. Indeed, only six countries in Europe consume other drugs. In Montenegro, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Belarus, opioids are the most prevalent. In contrast,
in Poland and Hungary,
the population is more interested in pharmaceutical tranquilizers and sedatives.
Furthermore, the prevalence of cannabis use is extremely high in certain European Union (EU) member states. Among these countries,
the Czech Republic tops the list, with a rate of11.1%, followed bySpain at 10.6%, the Netherlands at 10.4%,
Croatia at 10.2%, and Italy at 10.2%. Next comes
Germany with a prevalence of 8.8%, followed byFinland at 8.2%. Furthermore, it is important to emphasize that cannabis use particularly affects young people. According to statistics, 15.3 million cannabis users last year were young people aged between 15 and 34 years old
That said, men are generally half as likely to admit to women that they have used cannabis. It is also noted that more than 8.6 million people aged 15 to 24 used cannabis in May 2023. The prevalence of cannabis use in this age group is once again highest in the Czech Republic, reaching 22.9%. Italy ranks second with a rate of 20.9%, followed by France at 19.2%, the Netherlands at 19.2%, and Spain at 19.1%. In Europe, the number of individuals receiving treatment for substance abuse due to cannabis use exceeded 97,000 in 2021. This means, among other things, that more than a third of admissions for this treatment are due to cannabis use. Among them, 83% are male, while only 17% are female. The vast majority of those surveyed claim to use this illegal drug daily.
Finally, it should be noted that this figure could increase further, particularly with the arrival of new cannabis-derived products on the European market. Some of these contain high levels of THC (the addictive substance). Source: https://econostrum.info/cannabis-drogue-consommee-europe/.
