Number of adolescent smokers has dropped significantly

Drug commissioner provides addiction report: teens smoke less
Never before have so few young people smoked in Germany. Excessive alcohol consumption also decreases among minors. This is clear from the 2015 Addiction Report, which the German Federal Drugs Commissioner, Marlene Mortler (CSU), presented on Thursday in Berlin. However, the number of adult nicotine addicts has fallen only slightly. The number of alcoholics among adults remained unchanged.

Young people drink and smoke less
Less and less teenagers smoke in this country. This is proven by the smoking rate, which fell below ten percent in the 12- to 17-year-old age group last year for the first time. Since 2001, the smoking rate among children and adolescents has fallen from 28 to 9.7 percent. The Federal Government had even undercut the target of less than twelve percent, which it had defined in its sustainability strategy, with this result, said Mortler.

The number of young smokers is significantly lower. Image: Syda Productions / fotolia.com

Another positive development was announced by the drug commissioner regarding the number of hospital admissions for alcohol poisoning. Between 2010 and 2013, this dropped by more than 3,400 cases among young people aged between ten and 20 years. However, 23,267 hospital admissions were still too many because of excessive alcohol consumption.

Number of adult alcohol addicts remains unchanged
Among adults, the number of alcoholics stagnated. 1.77 million are addicted in Germany, at least 74,000 people died as a result. About 110,000 people were killed by nicotine consumption, according to the addiction report. 13.6 million people (24.5 percent of the population) smoke in this country, the smoking rate has fallen since 1999, only by 3.5 percent. Apparently most of the former smokers did not sell tobacco until the past four years. For women, the rate has fallen from 22 to 20 percent since 2010, and for men from 35 to 29 percent. Over the same period, the number of heavy smokers who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day fell by a third.

As Mortler reported, she was worried about the growing demand for e-cigarettes. Around 27 percent of 16 to 19-year-olds had already tried this. In addition, almost every fifth adolescent has already tested e-shishas at least once.

Drug use has increased for some illicit substances
"There were negative developments for some illegal substances. Thus, the proliferation of crystal meth increases. Even the first-time consumption of amphetamines rose again last, "it says in a statement of the drug commissioner. "In addition: cannabis is downplayed far too often, the demand for advice and treatment due to cannabis use increases. In addition, new psychoactive substances, often ordered directly over the Internet, threaten the health of consumers. "

According to Mortler, 600,000 people in Germany have problems with cannabis. In the under-25s age group, cannabis is the main reason for addiction treatment. The number of those affected increased by 31 percent between 2007 and 2013.

The addiction report also shows that up to 2.3 million people in this country are dependent on sleep, pain or sedatives. (Ag)