Health: European study, adolescents drink and smoke less, but cannabis use and new addictions are on the rise

“Smoking and drinking among 15–16-year-old school students are showing signs of decline, but there are concerns over potentially risky cannabis use and the challenges posed by new addictive behaviours”. These are some of the findings of a new report released today by the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). The study, published in cooperation with the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA, based in Lisbon), is based on a 2019 survey in 35 European countries, including 25 EU Member States. 99,647 students participated in the survey by responding to an anonymous questionnaire. The ESPAD Report 2019 (available in English) features information on students’ experience of, and perceptions about, a variety of substances, including: tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs, inhalants, pharmaceuticals and new psychoactive substances. It also covers social media use, gaming and gambling. According to the study, alcohol consumption remains high among European adolescents with an average of over three-quarters (79%) of students having used alcohol in their lifetime and almost half (47%) having used it in the last month. But consumption trend data show “some steady decreases, with levels now lower than in 2003 when both peaked at 91% and 63% respectively”.

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Valentina Bombelli