Pelikan

Tomaž Grom

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Resolution on the National Programme on Illicit Drugs 2023-2030 (ReNPPD23-30)

4.1 Illicit drug use among adolescents and adults

The general assessment in Europe is that the level of availability and use of illicit drugs remains high across the EU, although there are significant differences between countries. An estimated 83.4 million or 29% of adults (aged 15-64) in the EU have used an illicit drug, more of them men than women. Cannabis remains the most commonly used substance, with more than 22 million European adults reported to have used it in the last year.

Slovenia ranks below the EU average in terms of the prevalence of lifetime illicit drug use among adults aged 15-64, with 284,000, or 21%, of the adult population of Slovenia having used an illicit drug at some point in their lifetime, according to the 2018 survey. Cannabis remains the most widely used illicit drug, with 20.7% of the population of Slovenia having used an illicit drug at some point in their lifetime, and 5.9% having used an illicit drug in the last 12 months. In 2018, an estimated 83,700 adults (6.2%) aged 15-64 in Slovenia reported having used an illicit drug in the last 12 months and one in five students aged 15-16 said they had used cannabis. Adolescents have relatively little experience of illicit drug use, with the exception of cannabis, whose use among 15-16 year olds places Slovenia well above average compared to other countries.

The prevalence of illicit drug use among different target groups of users remains a major public health problem in Slovenia, despite an extensive network of health and social care support programmes, and is increasing with the emergence of new drugs and new addictions. The use of illicit drugs is increasing in Slovenia. A comparison of the prevalence of lifetime use of illicit drugs among the Slovenian population aged 15-64 between 2012 and 2018 shows that the prevalence of illicit drug use has increased, mainly at the expense of cannabis.

Adopted: 30. 6. 2023
Published: 10. 7. 2023
Type of document: Resolution
Responsible authority: Ministry of Health
Adopting authority: National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia