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 (OFDT) published on Wednesday .
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 (OFDT) published on Wednesday . The report “Drugs and addictions, key figures”, published with the most recent data, provides an overview of demand, supply and public response.
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According to the previous OFDT study published in 2022, France had 600,000 users in the year. Several factors explain the almost doubling of use. Global production has never been higher 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 .
Impressive quantities seized
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.
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Another factor: “The evolution of working conditions, with workers who use it to 'keep 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.
France, 7th largest consumer in Europe
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 20 years ago,” continues Ivana Obradovic. New this year: France now ranks 7th in Europe in terms of cocaine consumption.
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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 is “among young adults there were the greatest increases in experimentation and use during the year”, particularly for stimulants like cocaine and ecstasy/MDMA, comments Ivana Obradovic.
