An Estimated 8.4% Of European Adults Consume Cannabis

The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) recently published an updated analysis of cannabis use within the European continent. Based in Lisbon, Portugal, EUDA describes itself as “the leading authority on illicit drugs in Europe.”

“Cannabis is the most widely consumed illicit drug in Europe, with national surveys showing that an estimated 8.4 % of European adults (24 million aged 15 to 64) have used cannabis in the last year.” EUDA wrote in its ‘European Drug Report 2025‘. “The cannabis market accounts for the largest share of the overall illicit drug retail market in the European Union, with an estimated value of at least EUR 12.1 billion.”

“Around 1.5 % of adults in the European Union (4.3 million people) are estimated to be daily or almost daily cannabis consumers, and these people are most likely to experience problems associated with use of this drug.” the report also stated.

Cannabis is currently legal for adult use in Malta, Luxembourg, Germany, and, likely soon, the Czech Republic. Many more countries in Europe permit medical cannabis use, and several of those countries have legal medical cannabis industries.

“Seizures of cannabis products overall continued to be at historically high levels in 2023, confirming the high availability of this drug. However, the total quantity of cannabis resin seized in the European Union dropped significantly in 2022, largely due to a decrease in seizures reported by Spain, before slightly increasing again in 2023.” EUDA states in its report.

EUDA also determined the following:

• Spain accounts for 68% of all resin seized, 30% of all herbal cannabis seized, and 73% of the total number of cannabis plants seized in the EU.
• The average ‘resin sample’ of seized cannabis contains 23% THC
• The European Commission has received 194 applications for CBD product authorization as a novel food since 2018
• The most commonly encountered semi-synthetic cannabinoid is hexahydrocannabinol (HHC)
• Males are “typically twice as likely to report use as females”
• Only 45% of people entering treatment for cannabis use do so voluntarily
• 615,000 cannabis use or possession offences were reported in the European Union in 2023

Additional context is worth considering regarding EUDA’s reported consumption rates. A vast majority of European nations still prohibit recreational cannabis use, and it is logical to conclude that many consumers are reluctant to admit using cannabis to government surveyors.

As such, the actual annual cannabis consumption rate for European adults could be greater than EUDA’s estimated 8.4%.