Cocaine consumption in France has almost doubled over one year – Libération

The demand for cocaine has never been so strong in France. No less than 1.1 million people say they have taken it at least once a year in 2023, according to a study by the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Tendencies (OFDT) published this Wednesday, January 15.

The “Drugs and addictions, key figures” report, published with the most recent data, provides an overview of demand, supply and public response. 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 Drugs. the crime.

There is also the «diversification of forms of consumptionwith 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 twenty years ago, continues Ivana Obradovic, deputy director of the OFDT.

Young adults sniff the most

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 the head of the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Tendencies.

“It is among young adults that there have been the greatest increases in experimentation and use during the year”particularly for stimulants like cocaine and ecstasy/MDMA, comments Ivana Obradovic. If the price of a gram of cocaine has remained almost stable (60 euros in 2011, 66 euros in 2023), the active substance content has followed an exponential curve, with pure cocaine at 73% in 2023 compared to 46% in 2011.

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. New this year: France now ranks 7th in Europe in terms of cocaine consumption.