CANNABIS USE TREBLES IN FRANCE

French teenagers see wine and alcohol as "old France" and are
increasingly turning to cannabis to let their hair down, according to
a national study on its consumption.

Jean-Michel Costes, head of the French drugs and addiction watchdog,
OFDT, said yesterday that French cannabis use has soared in the past
15 years and is now almost on a par with Britain.

While the French drink half the amount they did in the 1960s, cannabis
consumption among the 18- to 35-year age group has more than trebled
since the early 1990s, the report found. advertisement

France is now just behind Britain, Spain, Switzerland and Europe's
heaviest cannabis users, the Czech Republic.

"There is a big cultural difference between France and England," said
Mr Costes. "Everyone drinks a bit in France, but as part of a meal,
not in order to get merry. To do that, the young are turning to
cannabis," he said.

A nationwide drink-driving awareness campaign and stricter controls
have helped change drinking habits in favour of cannabis smoking.

"Young people who want to rebel don't want the 'old-fashioned' image
associated with wine and alcohol," said Mr Costes. "Unlike in the UK,
binge-drinking is very uncommon - the French steer clear of hangovers
or feeling ill.

"Our studies show that they are turning to cannabis because its
effects reinforce their state of mind without fundamentally altering
it. They don't want to get wasted."

His report found that in 2005 about a quarter of French people and
half of 17-year olds said they had tried cannabis. More than a million
are regular users and half a million smoke a "joint" every day.

Among the young, the number of regular cannabis users is now almost
the same as regular alcohol drinkers.

Breton youths leave the rest of France behind in consumption of
cannabis, and the western region also comes top of the alcohol
consumption league.

"We think this has something to do with the Celtic connection," said
Mr Costes.

His findings also appeared to shatter the stereotype of the French
leading a stress-free life with short working hours and plenty of
holiday, as he pointed out that the French lead the world in the
consumption of tranquillisers.

"There is a general rise in the amount of anti-depressants taken in
France and the precursor to this in the young is cannabis," he said.

Cocaine use has also doubled in the past five years.

Part of the rise in cannabis use is due to falling prices, while the
number of French who grow their own at home has risen to at least 200,000.

But experts say its harmful effects were long underestimated in
France.

Marie Choquet, research head of the medical body Inserm, said
yesterday that anti-cannabis legislation had only been in force since
2004.

"Cannabis was long seen as a recreational drug, linked to partying.
Today we know better the risks of dependency and its harmful effect on
mental health," she said.