Cannabis Executive Summary

Cannabis is the most widely used illegal drug in the world and sits at the centre of legalisation debates. This three-page briefing distils EURAD’s longer 2012 paper for policy makers.

About one in five Europeans aged 15–64 report lifetime cannabis use; around 1% are estimated daily users. Prevalence is highest among 15–24 year olds. After rises in the 1990s and early 2000s, most countries later reported stable or falling trends. Potency has increased since the 1990s through new cultivation methods, and higher THC levels can worsen harms.

Use correlates with mental health problems, poorer academic outcomes, reduced life satisfaction, relationship strain and unemployment. About 1 in 9 people who try cannabis develop addiction (1 in 6 among adolescents). In Europe cannabis is the second most reported drug among people seeking treatment, and the primary drug for 8 in 10 treatment entrants under 20.

EURAD rejects a false choice between legalisation and a “war on drugs”, and argues for a prevention- and recovery-oriented middle ground that also accounts for harm to others and lessons from alcohol and tobacco markets.