The "pandemic effect" in alcohol and tobacco consumption among young people has evaporated in 2021 compared to the lockdown year 2020.

After sharp declines that year, an increase to the level before the pandemic was observed in 2021, said Bernd Werse from the Center for Drug Research at Goethe University on Tuesday at the presentation of the Frankfurt drug report.

This confirms the assumption that alcohol is strongly associated with socializing among young people.

According to the representative study of more than 1,300 young people aged 15 to 18 at Frankfurt schools, the abstinence values ​​of young people have also fallen again after a sharp increase in 2020.

Head of Health Stefan Majer (Bündnis 90/Greens) emphasized the importance of the study for prevention work with young people.

"It's important to know where we stand," he said.

Thanks to the study, which has been drawn up annually since 2002, no other city in Germany can completely document drug trends over such a long period of time.

Laughing gas as a trend drug

"Alcohol, cannabis and tobacco are long-running favorites for us," said Artur Schroers, head of the Frankfurt drug department, on drug trends among young people.

Alcohol was also the most widespread in 2021.

In the survey, 72 percent of the young people surveyed said they had consumed alcohol before.

For 51 percent, this applied to the period of the last 30 days, five percent could be considered frequent users.

More than half of the 15- to 18-year-olds - a total of 56 percent - had used tobacco at least once.

Shisha smoking was somewhat more widespread than cigarettes or other products.

36 percent of the young people surveyed had had experience with hashish or marijuana;

17 percent used cannabis in the last 30 days.

The number of frequent users was six percent.

According to the study, nitrous oxide proved to be a trend drug - albeit at a low level.

The young people gave curiosity as the main reason for using illegal drugs.

Behind it, the biggest role was to forget everyday life and switch off.

Social pressure in the group was mentioned more frequently than in 2020, a year marked by lockdowns.

In contrast, 17 percent of 15 to 18 year olds stated that they had never tried legal or illegal drugs in their lives.