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The number of consumers of this drug has doubled in 1 year in France

undefined undefined 15 janvier 2025 undefined 20h00

The Editor

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The results of a new study conducted by the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Trends (OFDT) just came out on Wednesday, January 15, and one thing is for sure: the findings are quite alarming. According to experts, the number of cocaine users in France has simply doubled in just one year, surpassing a million.

It's a record number just announced by OFDT. According to the organization, over 1.1 million people reported having consumed cocaine at least once in 2023, while the figure was "only" 600,000 people in 2022. This is quite an exceptional increase, attributed to various factors detailed by the Observatory, among which the main ones include the landscape of demand, supply, and public response.


More products available, but not more expensive

The first reason to consider when analyzing this impressive rise is a growing global cocaine production, primarily from Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru, the three countries producing the most.

According to figures provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, if 1134 tons of white powder were produced in 2010, this quantity increased to 2700 in 2022.

Add to this a price that remains quite stable – 60€ per gram in 2011 compared to 66€ in 2023 – and it creates a rather favorable environment for purchasing, and therefore for consumption. However, it's worth noting that while prices haven't changed much, the composition of the drug has evolved significantly. For instance, in 2011, cocaine was considered pure at 46%, but now it stands at 73%. This news is both positive and negative, as while the drug contains fewer harmful and chemical components, it likely hits a bit harder.


Changing consumption conditions

Another factor to consider for understanding this increase is the evolution and especially the diversification of consumer profiles. According to Ivana Obradovic, deputy director of the OFDT, there is a growing sense of normalization of the...

Image of cocaine, a drug that has become "familiar" and seen as "less dangerous" than it was 20 years ago». A new perspective on cocaine that encourages experimentation among young adults.

Finally, the working conditions are becoming increasingly difficult, which is also being denounced by the authorities. According to them, dozens of people are using substances to « keep going at work Â» and cope with the pressure found within companies. Ivana Obradovic also mentions that this is a way to « either handle intensive workloads (restaurant industry) or to face the harshness of working conditions (fishermen) Â».


The French, Drug Enthusiasts

There are many factors that make France the 7th European nation in terms of cocaine consumption. But the white powder is not the only one in vogue, as the most consumed drug in France remains cannabis, with 5 million.

User feedback in 2023, 1.4 million regular users (10 times in the past month) and 900,000 daily consumers.

The use of other substances, like MDMA or ecstasy, has also seen a spike between 2019 and 2023, rising from 400,000 to 750,000 people having experimented at least once over the past year. The use of heroin is also skyrocketing, with 350,000 more users since the last study. Everything is going wonderfully in this best of all possible worlds, as someone might say.