Why Cocaine Has Overtaken Cannabis in France: 1.1 Million Users and Shifting Profiles

From Party Drug to Everyday Boost: Why Cocaine Leads France’s Market

Cocaine has surged past cannabis as France’s top illicit drug by market value, generating €3.1 billion in 2023 compared to cannabis’s €2.7 billion. This flip stems from plummeting prices, slick marketing by dealers, and a boom in users seeking performance boosts amid work stress — now totaling around 1.1 million annual users. As a follow-up to our earlier report on France’s €6.8 billion drug economy, this piece dives into the “why” behind the shift and who these users really are.

Key Drivers: Cheaper, Easier, and “Professionalized” Access

Cocaine’s dominance isn’t just about volume — cannabis still leads there at 397 tonnes annually — but explosive revenue growth fueled by accessibility and demand.

Price Crash: Retail prices hit €58 per gram in 2024, the lowest since 2014, thanks to massive South American production and efficient European trafficking hubs like Antwerp.
Dealer Tactics: Networks now offer discounts, 24/7 delivery via apps, loyalty deals, and luxury-style packaging, turning cocaine into a “standard consumer product.”
Supply Glut: Abundant imports make it readily available, even in smaller, affordable doses like half-grams for new users.

Meanwhile, cannabis growth has stalled at 3.4% from 2017–2023, with youth use declining, letting cocaine’s higher per-gram value (€3.1B vs. €2.7B) take the lead.

1.1 Million Users: A Record High in 2023

France saw cocaine use nearly double recently, with 1.1 million people (2.7% of adults aged 18–64) reporting annual consumption — up from about 600,000 just years ago. Lifetime experimentation now reaches 3.7–4 million, or 9–10% of adults.

User Breakdown by the Numbers:

Annual Users: 1.1 million (record high).
Adult Prevalence: 2.7% of 18–64-year-olds.
Lifetime Users: 9–10% of the population.

This puts France among Europe’s highest for cocaine use, driven by broader appeal beyond nightlife.

Who Are France’s Cocaine Users? Typical Profiles

No longer just ravers, today’s users span professions and ages, often mixing cocaine with alcohol or cannabis for social or work boosts.

Age and Gender

Peak Age: 25–45 years, median around 32 (especially in hospital data).
Gender Split: Mostly men (about 75% of cases), but rising among women.
Trend Shift: Strong growth in 30s–40s; slight dip in 18–25 experimentation.

Socio-Professional Profiles

Workers Under Pressure: Employed adults in demanding jobs (cadres, intermediate professions, hospitality, events).
Motivations: Coping with stress, enhancing focus/sociability at work, or weekend partying.
Urban Hotspots: Higher in big cities like Paris, with poly-use common (e.g., 80%+ of young users also smoke cannabis).

These “M. and Mme. Tout-le-Monde” profiles explain the spending surge: regular, mid-level buys from stable-income users.

Health and Policy Wake-Up Call

Rising use correlates with more ER visits and addiction cases, prompting calls for better prevention targeting professionals. As Dr. Nicolas Prisse of MILDECA notes, this strains security, justice, and health systems — demanding action on both supply chains and demand drivers like workplace burnout.