
Young people and drugs
Overview
Young people are often at the leading edge of social change, and upward trends in alcohol and illicit drug use by them constitute an important social development in the EU. Young people now have access to an increasingly wide range of substances and are using them in combination with alcohol. New and changing patterns of psychoactive substance-use present a particular challenge for policymakers to develop an appropriately wide and timely range of responses for effective action.
More information
Young people are often at the leading edge of social change, and upward trends in alcohol and illicit drug use by them constitute an important social development in the EU. Young people now have access to an increasingly wide range of substances and are using them in combination with alcohol. New and changing patterns of psychoactive substance-use present a particular challenge for policymakers to develop an appropriately wide and timely range of responses for effective action.
The majority of young people in the EU have never used illicit drugs but, among those who have, cannabis is the most frequently used drug. In general, the likelihood of young people getting drunk or being offered cannabis, or other illicit drugs, as well as their willingness to try drugs, increases sharply with age. ‘Curiosity’ is usually given as the main reason for trying drugs. On the whole, males generally use more drugs and alcohol than females but the gap is narrowing for binge alcohol consumption.

Publications
Publications by the EMCDDA on this topic
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Schools and drugs: health and social responses2022
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Prevention toolkit2022
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ESPAD Report 2019 — Results from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs2020
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Exchange prevention registry2019
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European Prevention Curriculum (EUPC): a handbook for decision-makers, opinion-makers and policy-makers in science-based prevention of substance use2019
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Evidence database of the Best practice portal2019
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European Drug Report 2019: Trends and Developments2019
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Policy and practice briefings: Vulnerable young people2017
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Children's voices. Experiences and perceptions of European children on drug and alcohol issues2010
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Harm reduction: evidence, impacts and challenges2010
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Summary of the 2007 ESPAD report2009
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Hallucinogenic mushrooms2006
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Overdose — a major cause of avoidable death among young people2005
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Summary of a feasibility study: Monitoring youth media as a new source of information for detecting, tracking, and understanding emerging drug trends2001
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Feasibility study on detecting, tracking & understanding emerging trends in drug use2000
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