Cocaine consumption continues to increase in France, with 1.1 million people having taken it at least once a year in 2023, according to a study by the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Tendencies published Wednesday January 15.
The figures have almost doubled (600,000) since the previous OFDT report providing an overview of demand, supply and public response to drugs and addiction, which was published in 2022. Production global production has never been so high in Colombia, Bolivia and Peru, the three main producers, with 2,700 tonnes of cocaine in 2022 compared to 1,134 tonnes in 2010, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
This availability is also reflected in repression: the French authorities seized 23.5 tonnes of cocaine in 2023, compared to 4.1 tonnes in 2010. Over the first 11 months of 2024, nearly 47 tonnes of cocaine which were seized by the French services responsible for the fight against narcotics.
“Active people who use it to stay at work”
Another factor: “The evolution of working conditions, with workers who use it to stay at work, either to support intensive paces (catering), or to cope with the arduous working conditions (fishermen)“, underlines Ivana Obradovic, deputy director of the OFDT, to AFP.
Finally, there is the “diversification of forms of consumption, with the diffusion of cocaine base (crack) and the trivialization of the image of cocaine, a drug which has become 'familiar' and perceived as 'less dangerous' than previously. is 20 years old,” continues Ms. Obradovic.
New this year: France now ranks 7th in Europe in terms of cocaine consumption.
If the price of a gram of cocaine remained almost stable (60 euros in 2011, 66 euros in 2023) the content followed an exponential curve, with pure cocaine at 73% in 2023 compared to 46% in 2011.It was among young adults that there were the greatest increases in experimentation and use during the year.“, especially for stimulants like cocaine and ecstasy/MDMA, comments Ivana Obradovic.
France
