Prevalence of Drug Use Among Young People in Sweden

"In the 2016 survey, 4% of 16-year-olds and 13% of 18-year-olds responded that they had used drugs in the past 12 months (Tables 39–40). In a broader group of young adults (16–29 years), about 8% said they had used cannabis in the past year (Table 45). Viewed in a 45-year perspective, it is mainly the 1980s that stand out, with a lower percentage reporting personal experience of illicit drug use.

"Although the percentage of young people who use illicit drugs has remained relatively stable during the 2000s, there are signs of a slight increase in the frequency with which they use drugs (see Tables 41–42). Thus, even if the user group has not grown, consumption within the group appears to have increased.

"Among 18-year-old students who have used illicit drugs, almost two-thirds have used cannabis only; slightly under one-third have also used other drugs, and 5% have exclusively used other drugs. In recent years, synthetic cannabis smoking mixtures such as “spice” have risen to second place after traditional cannabis (cannabis resin and marijuana). Other illicit drugs, mentioned less frequently, include ecstasy, cocaine, amphetamines, and pharmaceutical drugs as tranquillisers and pain-killers, which are classified as narcotic drugs when used without prescription."