Tobacco and psychoactive substance use among young people: levels are declining in France

The 2024 results of the national EnCLASS survey, published by the French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT)[1], The survey confirms an overall decrease in the use of psychoactive substances among middle and high school students in France, particularly tobacco and cannabis. In 2024, 7.7% of middle school students and 30.6% of high school students reported having smoked a cigarette, while daily smoking affected 0.9% and 5.6% of them, respectively. In approximately fifteen years, tobacco experimentation has decreased by a factor of four among middle school students and by a factor of two among high school students, and daily smoking by a factor of five among the latter. These positive trends, however, are accompanied by the continued widespread use of e-cigarettes and are not uniform across socioeconomic groups. Furthermore, the survey reports a resurgence in alcohol experimentation after the decline observed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The EnCLASS survey (National Survey in Middle and High Schools Among Adolescents on Health and Substances) is a program conducted every two years in schools. The 2024 edition was carried out between March and June with over 11,000 students from sixth grade to twelfth grade, attending public and private schools under contract. The anonymous, self-administered online questionnaire focuses on the use of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, and other substances, as well as perceptions of accessibility and danger. The final sample analyzed comprises 11,397 students, with a participation rate of approximately 80%.

Decline in smoking among young people, increase in vaping

The 2024 results confirm the continued decline in smoking among adolescents, while highlighting a significant spread of electronic cigarettes, which have become a product widely tried in this population.

Fewer than one in ten middle school students (7.7 per 100,000) and fewer than one in three high school students (30.6 per 100,000) reported having smoked a cigarette in 2024. Daily smoking now affects 0.9 per 100,000 middle school students and 5.6 per 100,000 high school students, levels that have declined significantly compared to previous decades. Between 2022 and 2024, experimentation with tobacco continued to decline, while daily use remained generally stable, after having already decreased sharply in previous survey waves. Over a longer period, the changes are particularly marked: since 2010, experimentation with tobacco has decreased by a factor of four among middle school students and by a factor of two among high school students, while daily smoking among the latter has decreased by a factor of five. These trends reflect a profound transformation in the behavior of younger generations with regard to tobacco and the results of the public policies implemented.

In contrast, e-cigarettes are playing an increasingly important role in the current practices of teenagers. In 2024, 19% of middle school students and 46% of high school students reported having already tried vaping, significantly higher levels than for tobacco products. While experimentation remained generally stable between 2022 and 2024, daily use increased among high school students, reaching 6.8%, with a faster increase in recent years than in previous years. These results indicate that vaping now constitutes a possible entry point into nicotine use for young people, even if individual trajectories remain diverse.

Alcohol, cannabis and other substances: contrasting trends among adolescents

In 2024, 541% of middle school students and 72.7% of high school students reported having already consumed alcohol. This increase in experimentation between 2022 and 2024 follows a particularly sharp decline observed between 2018 and 2022, a period during which social restrictions related to the pandemic profoundly altered adolescents' socialization patterns. Despite this rebound, regular use remains relatively limited, especially in middle school, and episodes of heavy binge drinking are generally decreasing among high school students.

Indicators related to cannabis use continue to show a downward trend. In 2024, 16.1% of high school students reported having tried cannabis, compared to 22.5% in 2022, while use in the year and month preceding the survey also declined. Regular use remains infrequent, at around 2%, and is more common among boys than girls. Over the long term, all indicators of cannabis use among high school students show a continuous decrease since the early 2010s.

Regarding other illicit substances, experimentation levels remain low and are decreasing. In 2024, 4.9% of high school students reported having experimented with at least one illicit substance other than cannabis, a significantly lower proportion than in 2022 and less than half that observed in 2011. The most frequently experimented substances remain cocaine and MDMA/ecstasy, each around 2%, while other substances have marginal prevalence levels.

Perceived accessibility is decreasing but still high for alcohol and tobacco

The survey results highlight an overall decrease in the perceived accessibility of major psychoactive substances among adolescents over the past decade. Between 2011 and 2024, the proportion of high school students who considered it "very easy" to obtain cigarettes, alcohol, or cannabis declined significantly, reflecting the potential impact of public policies aimed at preventing and controlling access to these substances.

Nevertheless, despite this positive trend, alcohol remains the substance considered most accessible by young people. In 2024, nearly three-quarters of high school students (73.4%) believe it would be "fairly easy" or "very easy" to obtain it, even though its sale is prohibited to minors. More specifically, 68.5% believe it would be easy to obtain beer, 62.2% wine or champagne, 60.2% cider, and 56.1% spirits or cocktails.

Tobacco products are also still perceived as easily accessible: 53.3% of high school students report that it would be "fairly easy" or "very easy" for them to obtain cigarettes. E-cigarettes are perceived as even more accessible, with 58.8% of high school students sharing this perception, which aligns with the reality of products being available in a very large number of retail outlets where sales bans to minors are largely ignored. Hookah is considered accessible by a third of high school students (33% of students) and snuff by nearly three out of ten (29.4% of students).

The perceived accessibility of cannabis appears more limited but remains significant, with 30.8% of high school students believing it would be easy to obtain. Other illicit substances are perceived as significantly less accessible: 13.5% for cocaine, 9.5% for MDMA/ecstasy, and 8% for amphetamines.

Positive trends linked to public policies, but efforts must continue.

The trends observed in the EnCLASS survey are part of a broader context of progressively strengthening public policies for the prevention and control of psychoactive substance use, particularly in the fight against tobacco use. The marked decline in smoking among adolescents over the last decade is an encouraging indicator of the impact of implemented measures, such as tax increases, plain packaging, advertising bans, the elimination of artificial flavors, and the expansion of smoke-free areas. These results contribute to paving the way for a tobacco-free generation.

However, these positive trends are accompanied by warning signs. The decline is not uniform, with marked differences across social classes. The rise in vaping among young people and the widespread availability of alternative nicotine products indicate a shift in nicotine use patterns, which could maintain the exposure of younger generations to nicotine addiction and even increase the risk of relapse into smoking, assuming the hypothesis of a gateway effect of these products is confirmed.

Furthermore, the perception of easy access to various products is a recognized factor in initiating substance use. This confirms the importance of continuing efforts to reduce young people's exposure to and access to these products, particularly through stricter controls.

In this context, the rise in vaping among young people and the ease of access to products have recently been denounced by the National Committee Against Smoking (CNCT). In a report[2] Dedicated to promotional and commercial practices surrounding vaping products, the association highlights significant exposure of minors to these products and marketing communications, as well as frequent violations of the ban on sales to minors, particularly online. In addition to the generalization of the ban on flavorings, the CNCT calls for a strengthening of the regulatory framework, including the introduction of plain packaging for all tobacco and vaping products and a ban on their online sale, in order to limit their appeal and accessibility to young people.

©Generation Without Tobacco

AE

[1] Press release, Psychoactive substance use among middle and high school students - EnCLASS 2024 results, OFDT, published on February 25, 2026, accessed on February 27, 2026

[2] Press release, Vaping: the CNCT calls for neutral packaging and a ban on online sales, CNCT, published on February 19, 2026, accessed on February 27, 2026