Cocaine consumption in France is rising at a pace that has alarmed public officials, healthcare workers and law enforcement alike, challenging the long-standing perception that the drug is confined to wealthy urban elites.
New data and political remarks have brought renewed attention to how deeply cocaine has permeated French society — and how central it has become to the financing of organised crime.
The issue entered the political spotlight following comments made by government spokesperson Maud Brégeon during a press briefing after the Council of Ministers on November 19.
Quoting President Emmanuel Macron, Brégeon said that “sometimes, it is the bourgeois in city centres who fund drug traffickers,” a remark intended to underline the responsibility of consumers in sustaining criminal networks.
While the comment pointed to elite consumption, professionals working on the ground say it obscures a far more complex reality. Police officers, judges, social workers and healthcare professionals have for years reported a steady “normalisation” of cocaine use, describing its spread as virtually universal.
No longer restricted to nightlife districts or affluent circles, cocaine is increasingly present across age groups, professions and regions.
Statistics from the French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT) support these observations. Although cannabis remains far more prevalent — with an estimated five times as many users — cocaine consumption has grown sharply in recent years.
According to the OFDT’s 2023 Survey on representations, opinions and perceptions regarding psychoactive substances, 9.4% of adults in France reported having used cocaine at least once in their lifetime. In 2017, that figure stood at just 5.6%.
Even more concerning to public health officials is the rise in recent use. In 2023, 2.7% of the population said they had used cocaine within the previous 12 months, compared with 1.6% six years earlier.
This steady increase suggests that cocaine is becoming a more routine feature of social life rather than an occasional or marginal substance.
Experts attribute the trend to several factors, including greater availability, lower prices and changing social attitudes. Large-scale trafficking routes through Europe have increased supply, while the drug’s image as a “functional” stimulant has reduced perceived risk among users.
For criminal organisations, cocaine sales now represent a major source of income, fuelling violence, corruption and territorial disputes.
The government has placed drug trafficking high on its agenda, but critics argue that enforcement alone will not address rising demand. Public health advocates are calling for stronger prevention campaigns, better addiction treatment and a more honest public conversation about consumption across all social classes.
As cocaine continues to shed its elite image, France faces a growing challenge: confronting not only the criminal networks that profit from the drug, but also the societal habits that allow its use to spread unchecked.