Young French People Are Europe's Biggest Consumers of Cannabis

France is not only the European country with most cannabis consumers: 40.9 % of its citizens state that they have tried cannabis at some point. Rather, it is also one of the countries in the world with the largest percentage of adolescent consumers. This is one of the conclusions from a recent study by the World Health Organisation (WHO). 

According to the survey which was carried out in 42 countries across the world, France has the greatest amount of cannabis consumption among young people. Specifically, 15% of young people aged 15 acknowledge having smoked cannabis within the last 30 days. Furthermore, the percentage barely varies between men and women. 

In order to visit the country placed second in the ranking created by the WHO, you need to travel across to the other side of the Atlantic. 13% of young Canadians state that they have consumed cannabis in the last month. France and Canada, along with Italy, Switzerland and Bulgaria, are in the top five spots in the list of countries with the largest amount of adolescent consumers. Spain is ninth in the rankings; specifically, 11% of young males and 9% of young females admitted that they regularly smoked cannabis. 

Cannabis does have the same appeal for adolescents in all countries. For example, young people in Nordic countries consume very moderately. In turn, Sweden is one of the countries where the fewest young people consume cannabis out of the 42 countries that participated in the WHO study: only 2% of adolescents in the Nordic country admitted to smoking cannabis. 

It is necessary to bear in mind that the U.S, where four states have already legalised cannabis for recreational purposes, did not form part of the survey carried out by the WHO. 

On the other hand, the study highlights that it is more probable that young people will smoke cannabis if their older friends or siblings do so. More permissive parents as well as those that tend to forbid this type of behaviour, both end up causing the cannabis consumption rate among young people to rise. Therefore, it seems clear that if young people become cannabis lovers at an early age, even if their parents try to take a heavy-handed approach, they will not be able to do anything to dissuade them.