The European continent is in the midst of a cannabis policy modernization revolution, with Europe now being home to more countries that have adopted national adult-use legalization measures than any other continent. In fact, over half of the planet’s legalized countries are located in Europe.

Malta became the first country in Europe to adopt national legalization in 2021, followed by Luxembourg in 2023, Germany in 2024, and Czechia’s legalization measure took effect at the start of this year. The only other countries to adopt a national adult-use legalization measure are Uruguay (2013), Canada (2018), and South Africa (2024).

Additionally, regional adult-use cannabis commerce pilot trials are operating in the Netherlands and Switzerland, and most European nations have legal medical cannabis industries operating in some fashion. Europe is truly an exciting region for cannabis policy and industry.

The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) recently announced the publication of the 2026 European Drug Report 2026. The annual report provides valuable insight into cannabis usage rates and trends within the European Union, which is useful information for current and aspiring industry members to consider.

“Cannabis is the most widely consumed illicit drug in Europe, with national surveys showing that an estimated 8.7% of European adults (25 million aged 15 to 64) have used the drug in the last year.” EUDA stated about this year’s findings. “In Europe, illicit herbal cannabis and cannabis resin remain the most widely available and consumed types of cannabis. However, new cannabis products and forms are available on both the illicit drug market and the consumer goods market.”

When it comes to adults who report having consumed cannabis at least once within the last month, Spain leads the way with an estimated 10.5% of adults reporting monthly cannabis use, followed by France at 6.3%, Czechia at 6.1%, and the Netherlands at 5.5%.

Spain also leads the way when the results are filtered by reported cannabis use within the last year. An estimated 12.6% of adults in Spain report yearly cannabis use, according to the EUDA 2026 report, followed by France and Italy, both of which reported 10.8%, and Germany at 9.8%.

France takes the top spot for reported ‘lifetime’ cannabis use. Over half of adults in France, 50.4%, report having consumed cannabis at least once in their lives. Coming in second is Spain at 43.7%, Denmark at 37.6%, and Italy at 34.8%.

For contextual purposes, an estimated 51% of adults in the United States report having consumed cannabis at least once in their lives, and an estimated 45% of adults in Canada report having consumed cannabis at least once in their lives.