The Government has received the results of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) survey carried out in 2015, in which Monaco participated for the third time. The results are seen as encouraging.
The ESPAD started in 1995 by the Swedish Council for Alcohol and Drugs Information, with the support of the Pompidou Group of the Council of Europe. Its aim was to collect comparable and reliable data in as many countries as possible in order to provide a solid basis for helping to put in place appropriate policies, in particular, aimed at young people. For example, tobacco smoking patterns, alcohol and other illicit drugs are measured for young European pupils reaching grade 16 in the year of study.
Conducted every four years, it allows a comparison of the consumption habits of the school children of the participating countries. Monaco participated in April 2007, 2011 and 2015. The Monaco Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (IMSEE) took part with the assistance of the Management of Monaco National Education, Youth and Sports, under the supervision of the French Observatory for Drugs and Drug Addiction.
The conclusions of the ESPAD survey for the Principality highlights several points: the indicators are down compared to the previous survey concerning the experimentation with and regular consumption of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis although experimentation with and use of alcohol remains at relatively high levels. For tobacco and alcohol consumption, the gap between girls and boys is smaller in the Principality than elsewhere in Europe and cannabis is confirmed as the main product consumed among a range of illegal substances.
The Government believes that various campaigns to fight the use of illegal substances and alcohol have contributed to the downward trend in use. The entire ESPAD report is available at imsee.mc