Tobacco, alcohol, cannabis: different levels of consumption depending on the overseas territories

The French Observatory for Drugs and Addictive Trends (OFDT) publishes the results of the ESCAPAD 2023 survey[1], conducted among 2,869 young people aged 17 in six overseas territories. While the levels of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis use remain generally lower in the Antilles, Réunion and Guyana than in mainland France, the Pacific territories – French Polynesia and New Caledonia – stand out for significantly higher consumption, particularly among girls.

The ESCAPAD study, conducted by the OFDT since 2000, regularly surveys young French people aged 17 as part of Defense and Citizenship Day. In 2023, the survey involved 531 young people in Guadeloupe, 380 in Martinique, 398 in French Guiana, 503 in Réunion, 467 in French Polynesia, and 360 in New Caledonia. For the first time, data collection took place simultaneously in the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific, providing an overview of the addictive behaviors of 17-year-olds in overseas territories and allowing for comparison with the situation observed in mainland France in 2022.

The study shows that tobacco, alcohol, e-cigarette, and cannabis consumption appears to be generally high across all overseas territories, although there are sometimes marked differences between them. Initiation rates remain particularly high, including in the territories that are among the highest ranked, which underlines the scale of the phenomenon and the persistence of worrying levels of consumption among 17-year-olds.

Antilles and Guyana: levels lower than mainland France

In the Antilles, tobacco experimentation stands at 33.3 % in Guadeloupe and 36.0 % in Martinique, with respectively 5.0 % and 6.9 % of daily use. In French Guiana, 46.2 % of young people have already smoked, but only 3.5 % consume daily. Vaping remains limited there: 28.9 % of young people in Guadeloupe, 36.5 % in Martinique and 39.1 % in French Guiana have already used an e-cigarette, with daily use ranging from 3.1 % to 5.4 %, well below metropolitan levels (56.9 % experimentation and 6.21 % % daily use).

Alcohol consumption is also lower than in mainland France, where 80.6% of young people have already drunk and 7.2% use it regularly. In Guadeloupe, 72.7% have experimented with alcohol and 4.6% consume it regularly. In Martinique, these levels are 70.5% and 6.2%, while in French Guiana they drop to 66.0% and 1.4%.

Cannabis confirms this trend: 29.9% of young people in mainland France have already used it and 3.8% use it regularly. In Guadeloupe, this proportion is lower, with 16.8% reporting having tried this product and 1.0% using it regularly. In Martinique, the figures are 20.8% and 2.0%, respectively, and in French Guiana, 21.7% and 2.2%. French Guiana, however, presents a worrying particularity: 1.3% of adolescents there report having tried crack, compared to only 0.4% in mainland France.

Reunion Island: high use of cannabis and stimulants

Among 17-year-old adolescents in Réunion, alcohol consumption is significantly lower than in mainland France: 37.7% report monthly use compared to 58.6%. Daily smoking affects 9.3% of young people, a lower level than in mainland France but still significant.

Experimentation with tobacco affects 38.6 % of 17-year-olds, a level still lower than that observed in mainland France but still high. Daily use affects 11 % of Réunion teenagers. Vaping is relatively widespread, with 4.9 % daily users, a level closer to the national average. On the other hand, cannabis use is more common: 31.4 % of young people report having already experimented with it and 5.5 % use it regularly (compared to 29.9 % and 3.8 % in mainland France). Réunion also stands out for higher experimentation with cocaine (2.0 % compared to 1.4 %) and MDMA (5.7 % compared to 2.0 %).

The Pacific: consumption among the highest in France, especially among girls

In French Polynesia and New Caledonia, 17-year-old adolescents show particularly high levels of tobacco, vaping and cannabis use, with a high prevalence among girls.

In French Polynesia, 89.3 % of girls have already experimented with alcohol (compared to 81.3 % of boys). Tobacco use is also gendered: 16.1 % of girls smoke daily, compared to 8.4 % of boys. Regarding vaping: 9.8 % of girls use e-cigarettes daily, compared to 9.2 % of boys. For cannabis, consumption is very high: 44.6 % of girls and 36.9 % of boys have experimented with it, with regular use affecting 6.7 % of girls and 9.1 % of boys.

In New Caledonia, use is reaching record levels: more than nine out of ten 17-year-olds have experimented with alcohol (93.1 % of boys and 91.6 % of girls). Repeated heavy occasional drinking concerns 41.4 % of boys and 19.4 % of girls. Daily smoking is very high: 26.9 % of boys and 22.3 % of girls (compared to 17.0 % and 14.2 % in mainland France). Daily vaping is reaching an unprecedented level: 28.7 % of girls and 20.9 % of boys, four times more than in mainland France. For cannabis, 50.6 % of boys and 51.7 % of girls have already used it, and regular use concerns 8.5 % of boys and 6.3 % of girls.

Contrasting developments and a major public health issue

Over the long term, data collected since 2005 reveals differentiated trajectories across the overseas territories. Daily smoking among 17-year-olds is declining in all regions, except in New Caledonia, where levels remain higher than those observed in mainland France. Vaping, meanwhile, continues to spread across all territories, with particularly worrying levels in the Pacific.

Regular alcohol use has declined in most territories, but it continues to rise in New Caledonia. For cannabis, the Antilles and French Guiana remain below metropolitan averages, while French Polynesia and Réunion have higher levels, reflecting more worrying consumption patterns.

These findings highlight the need for prevention policies adapted to local realities. In the West Indies and French Guiana, where usage levels appear generally lower than in other territories, it is important not to relax our vigilance. Maintaining this positive trend requires continuing the efforts already underway and strengthening prevention actions to avoid any future increase in consumption among young people. In Polynesia and New Caledonia, the particularly high levels of alcohol, tobacco, vaping, and cannabis consumption call for an urgent strengthening of public health actions. The recent ban on disposable e-cigarettes, which came into effect in February 2025, could be an important lever to curb the rise of vaping among adolescents, particularly in the Pacific territories where its daily use is reaching unprecedented proportions.

©Generation Without Tobacco

AE