The study by the French Observatory for Drugs and Addiction (OFDT) compares alcohol, tobacco and drug use among 17-year-olds across the country's regions.
Broadly it shows that one-third of 17-year-olds smoke ten cigarettes a day, most have already drunk alcohol and 10 percent of them consume cannabis at least ten times a month.
Consumption down overall
The good news is that at the national level, the survey shows a decline in the use of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis among 17-year-olds.
In this age group, experimentation and alcohol consumption are still high although they have decreased by an average of 20 percent compared to the previous survey conducted in 2014.
Meanwhile, cannabis use has decreased by 20 percent and smoking is down by 23 percent.
Photo: AFP
According to initial results released in February, 39.1 percent of people surveyed said they had tried cannabis which equates to the lowest level since 2000.
The level of regular users — people who consume the drug at least ten times a month — was at 7.2 percent, a figure which also represents a drop on the previous study conducted in 2014.
More cannabis users in the south
The report revealed that more 17-year-olds experiment with cannabis as well as use the drug on a regular basis in the south of the country.
The proportion of 17-year-olds who have already tried cannabis is higher than average in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, where 44.7 percent have smoked the drug, Occitanie (43.5 percent), Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes (41.6 percent) and Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur (41.2 percent).
Lower consumption in the north… except Brittany
Interestingly, Brittany was the only region in northern France notable for the high use of cannabis among 17-year-olds, with 44.7 percent of those surveyed having tried the drug.
Whereas other northern regions, such as Hauts-de-France, the greater Paris region of Île-de-France, Grand Est and Center-Val de Loire have lower rates of experimentation.
According to the report, those regions sit between 33.1 percent and 36.3 percent.
The map below looks at the level of cannabis experimentation among 17-year-olds across France, with Brittany and Nouvelle-Aquitaine, where experimentation is most common, coloured in red.
The next highest levels are seen in the regions coloured yellow, followed by grey, light blue and dark blue.
Map: OFDT report
Young Bretons drink the most
On top of being comparatively high in terms of their consumption of cannabis, 17-year-olds in Brittany also drink the most.
According to the fresh figures from the OFDT, a whopping 93.7 percent of 17-year-olds in the region have already tried alcohol.
Meanwhile in Pays-de-la-Loire, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Corsica, alcohol consumption was also high, with more than one in five teenagers saying they indulge in binge drinking (five alcoholic beverages in one sitting or more) at least three times a month.
The map below shows the level of experimentation with alcohol across France.
Regions coloured red show the highest levels of experimentation, followed by orange, grey, light blue and dark blue shows the regions with the lowest levels.
Map: OFDT report
Cigarettes
By the age of 17, almost six out of ten 17-year-olds in France have tried smoking and the number of daily smokers is higher in Corsica, Brittany and Normandy, with more than 30 percent of those surveyed in those regions describing themselves as regular smokers against a national average of 25.1 percent.
And across the country, a quarter of 17-year-olds smoke a cigarette a day.
The map below shows the level of daily smokers aged 17 across the France.
Corsica and Brittany, coloured in red, have the highest level, followed by the regions coloured yellow, grey, light blue and dark blue.
Map: OFDT report
Other drugs
The study revealed that it is in the west of France where other drugs including MDMA, ectsasy, cocaine, hallucinogenic mushrooms and amphetamines are taken the most by the chosen demographic.
This is particularly true in Normandy, Brittany and Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Five French words to learn
Consommation – consumption
Fumeurs – smokers
Les Drogues- drugs
Les Adolescents – teenagers
La Carte – map
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