Cannabis, alcohol use on the decline among Belgian youth

Nearly 87% of high school students in Belgium have never used cannabis, reports Het Nieuwsblad based on a survey of about 19,000 students from the provinces of East Flanders and Flemish Brabant. Ten years ago, 72% of students reported never having used the drug, reports the Provincial Inter-Governmental Partnership for Tackling Drug Abuse (PISAD).

PISAD’s survey also provides insight into the age at which some Belgian youth start experimenting with drugs and alcohol, at around 15 years old on average. In 2003, 72.3% of young people said never to have used cannabis and those who had, started around age 14.

Regarding alcohol, PISAD found that 51% of young people under 16 have never tried alcohol, compared to about 13% of the 16-year-olds who responded. Ten years ago, about 54% of 12-year-olds had drunk alcohol.

PISAD points out the effectiveness of schools’ increased prevention efforts in recent years, including updated alcohol and drug policies and awareness campaigns.