Drugs and addictions: 20 years of developments in France (2000-2020)

This article retraces the main changes reported over 20 years in drug use and addiction practices in France (2000-2020) in the light of the information system set up since the 1990s. It highlights the downward trend of the two most widespread products: alcohol, whose use has been steadily decreasing since the 1950s, and, more recently, tobacco, which is being “denormalized”. In contrast, the proportion of cannabis users has increased among adults, reflecting the ageing of the generations that experimented with this product at the peak of its diffusion, from the 1990s onwards. However, cannabis use is declining among the young people, in line with the European trend. In a context of expanding drug supply, this overview reviews the developments that call for vigilance (the rise of stimulants, increased use of legal opioids) and stresses some emerging problems (the arrival of new synthetic products, drugs diversion for psychoactive purposes, increasing use of non-substance-based addictions).