More French teens smoking cannabis

CANNABIS smoking among young people is on the rise in France for the first time in more than a decade, with almost half of 17-year-olds claiming to have taken the drug.

A new study by the Observatoire Français des Drogues et des Toxicomanies, based on 22,000 responses, found smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol were also on the rise.

47.8% of those questioned - who were all aged 17 - said they had smoked cannabis at least once, up from 41.5% in 2011 and the first rise since 2002.

A quarter of respondents said they had smoked a joint within the past month and one in 10 identified themselves as regular cannabis users.

OFDT director François Beck said France in the 1990s had one of the highest cannabis consumption rates among young people in all of Europe, but the figures had been falling until now.

He said growing stress levels among young people, especially around their studies and trying to find work, could be contributing to the increased cannabis use.

The wide-ranging health study found 12 per cent of 17-year-olds drink alcohol regularly - at least 10 times a month - a figure which has been rising since 2008. One in three people questioned said they smoked daily.