The confinement has had worrying consequences in terms of addiction on some cannabis users.
The French Observatory for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT) revealed this Thursday that a quarter of previously weekly users (27%) and nearly one in ten monthly users (8%) switched to daily use during the confinement.
"In total, the share of daily users has increased by 11 points, from 20% to 31%"
, indicates the observatory.
To read also:
"There is no" soft drug "": elected officials The Republicans against the legalization of cannabis
These unprecedented data result from the “online cannabis” survey that this organization carried out.
Between July 10 and August 7, the observatory posted a questionnaire on consumption habits at the time of confinement.
Of the 7,000 people who viewed the document, 2,778 - mostly people aged 18 to 34 - responded.
The impact of confinement
It is from these thousands of responses that the OFDT was able to analyze the impact of confinement on addiction.
All these data show that while fairly regular consumers have upped their consumption a notch, a large majority of regulars have not changed their habits.
In general, the more consumption was
"high before confinement, the less the use behavior varied"
, notes the study.
"Thus, 8 out of 10 daily consumers (82%) and half of weekly users have maintained their level of consumption at the same"
, it is written.
This period had positive effects for some since 28% of users indicated not to have consumed and 16% to have reduced their consumption.
The people who answered the survey do not seem to have encountered any major difficulty in accessing the product
OFDT
This state of play of consumption clearly indicates that, despite restrictions on exits and border closures, consumers have had little difficulty in obtaining their dose.
"The people who responded to the survey do not seem to have encountered any major difficulty in accessing the product,"
notes the observatory, which however notes a slight drop in sales during this period.
"67% of cannabis users bought it during confinement against 78% in ordinary times"
.
The sales prices practiced during these few months also show that the resin market was less resistant than that of grass.
Thus, the price of resin has increased by 27%, from 5.70 euros per gram to 7.20 euros while that of grass has remained stable, around 7 euros per gram.
Lonely consumption
“This difference is explained. Regarding grass, there is a part of self-cultivation in France, which has enabled users to stock up on supplies. Conversely, the resin market, which comes from abroad and goes up from the south, has been disrupted by closed borders ”
, explains to
Figaro
Stanislas Spilka, the coordinator of the survey who, in a way general, said he was surprised by this photograph of consumption at the time of confinement.
All of this data contradicts what he had imagined.
“We started from an assumption that during this period there would be a lot of supply difficulties due to the closed borders and that prices would rise sharply.
We then envisaged a break in consumption.
It wasn't
, ”he says.
To read also:
"Short circuits", easy distribution: the French production of cannabis in full swing
During this same study, the observatory also reports on the way in which the drug was consumed.
The confinement, which banned gatherings, naturally increased
“solitary consumption”
.
Gambling addiction
In addition, 38% of those who answered the questionnaire admitted to having had their first joint of the day earlier than usual.
“Both of these changes are generally viewed as worrying signs of substance abuse and addiction.
Obviously during confinement, solitary consumption was inevitable.
But we fear that habits have been taken and we are going to monitor the evolution of behavior, ”
indicates the head of the survey.
In parallel with this study, the observatory reports on another phenomenon of addiction that affects gambling.
These exploded.
"Despite an overall decline in online gambling due to the interruption of sports betting, the lockdown has contributed to the very significant growth of online poker with more active players, an increase in gambling and average spending per player also on the rise, ”it
is written.
The figures also show that young people aged 18 to 24 but also the age group of 25 to 34 years have fallen during this period in the spiral of gambling and poker.
