Young people in the Czech Republic smoke and drink alcohol less frequently than their peers in the past. At the same time, however, they are increasingly turning to alternative nicotine products and psychoactive substances. Compared to their counterparts in Europe, they also have the highest level of experience with cannabis use.
In the Czech Republic, the number of young people who smoke, drink alcohol, or use cannabis products continues to decline. The situation is therefore similar to, or even better than, that of 30 years ago, before consumption rose sharply around the turn of the millennium. At the same time, however, the proportion of young people using alternative nicotine products, drinking excessively, or taking psychoactive medication is growing. These are the findings of the Czech segment of the eighth European School Survey on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). Last year, 2,977 sixteen-year-old pupils in ninth grade and the first years of secondary school from across the Czech Republic took part.
The lowest rate of alcohol consumption in years was also recorded. Last year, 56 per cent of young people reported drinking alcohol, compared to 63 per cent six years ago and nearly 70 per cent in 2015.
Czech sixteen-year-olds continue to lead Europe in cannabis consumption. Twenty-four per cent of young people in the Czech Republic have already tried cannabis products – the European average is only 11 per cent.
Just under six per cent of young Czechs use cannabis intensively and in a risky manner. Among girls, the figure is around one in sixteen; among boys, one in twenty. Excessive use is particularly common among students at vocational schools without a school-leaving certificate, where it affects almost one in thirteen. At grammar schools, the proportion is less than three per cent.
The study was first conducted in 1995 and is repeated every few years. The Czech Republic has taken part in all eight rounds. Last year, the survey was carried out in 37 countries, with a total of around 114,000 pupils participating.
The most important results of the European School Survey 2024 on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) can be found at euda.europa.eu.
