Tobacco consumption down among French middle school students, vaping up

The French Observatory for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT) presented on January 12 the first results of its national survey in middle and high school adolescents on health and substances (EnCLASS) conducted among 2,000 3rd year students in the first quarter.[1].

The first results highlight a significant drop in the consumption of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis, despite the fact that accessibility to products remains high. While calling for continued vigilance with regard to these products, the consumption of which remains massive, the OFDT also warns of the growth in the use of electronic cigarettes.

A continued decline in tobacco consumption accelerated by the Covid19 pandemic

According to the survey, 29.1% of 3rd year students reported having tried cigarettes in 2021 compared to 37.5 % in 2018, and 51.8 % in 2010 (a relative decrease of 44 % in 11 years). At the same time, the number of 3rd year middle school students who smoke cigarettes daily has been divided by four, from 15.6 % in 2010 to 3.7 % today. As for hookah, its experimentation increased from 26.2% in 2018 to 20% in 2021 and its regular consumption increased from 8.3% to 5.5% over the same period. The OFDT is nevertheless warning about this because shisha could become a substitute for traditional tobacco cigarette consumption, especially since it seems to have a more positive image among young people.

For Julien Morel d'Arleux, the director of the OFDT, the Covid-19 pandemic has " accentuated the downward trends that we have observed for the past ten years"among the youngest. He adds that the pandemic has created a context where " There were fewer opportunities to socialize, which probably delayed the experiments.” However, consumption, particularly in comparison with other countries, remains very high since more than one in four young people have tried tobacco and we know that out of three of them who have tried tobacco, just to see, at least two become daily smokers for part of their lives.

Consumption of vaping products now higher than that of tobacco

Experimentation with e-cigarettes decreased slightly between 2018 and 2021, from 37.4% among 3rd grade students^e to 34.2%. Its regular use increased from 13.1% in 2018 to 13.9% in 2021. For the first time in the adolescent population, these levels are now higher than those of traditional cigarettes. Its daily use in 2021 (2.8 %), however, remains less widespread than that of traditional cigarettes.

The study also notes the proximity of e-cigarette consumption and tobacco use, whether traditional cigarettes or shisha. Co-consumption remains significant (nearly 1 in 4 students have already smoked a tobacco product and already "vaped" an e-cigarette). However, exclusive experimentation with e-cigarettes is also increasing, from 5.1 % in 2018 to 8% in 2021.

The importance of properly implementing anti-smoking measures

This significant decrease in daily smoking among young people in this age group echoes the many efforts to combat smoking in recent years: plain packaging, tax increases, bans on flavors, etc. However, despite these encouraging results, tobacco consumption remains high among adolescents and the goal of a tobacco-free generation remains largely hypothetical. This situation can be explained in particular by the low compliance with certain measures, in particular the ban on the sale of tobacco products to minors. According to a survey[2] conducted by the National Committee against Smoking (CNCT) in 2019, approximately 10% of tobacconists agreed to sell to 12-year-old children who were all non-smokers and two-thirds of tobacconists sold to minors at 17 years old (65.2%). The proportion was even higher when the young person was a smoker, since the acceptance of the sale by the tobacconist then occurred in 93% of cases.

Keywords: OFDT, France, adolescents, smoking, vaping, ban on sales to minors

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[1] Use of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis among 3rd grade students in 2021, Trends No. 148, OFDT, 4 p. December 2021, published on January 12, 2021

[2] CNCT, Ban on tobacco sales to minors: a largely unenforced measure, October 3, 2019, accessed January 13, 2022