CAN, the Central Association for Alcohol and Narcotics Information, has in its annual report compiled young people's experiences of alcohol, narcotics, doping, tobacco, and gambling for money.
Both alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking have decreased significantly over a longer period. However, the decline has leveled out in recent years.
On the other hand, snuff use is increasing among both ninth-graders and second-year high school students.
Especially, it is white snuff, also called tobacco-free snuff, that young people are using, and the increase is particularly pronounced among girls, where consumption is now at historically high levels. The proportion of snuff users has increased from 4 to 26 percent over a ten-year period.
In the 2024 survey, 16 percent of ninth-graders reported using snuff, compared to 5 percent in 2017. In the second year of high school, 29 percent use snuff, which can be compared to 13 percent in 2012.
The CAN report also shows that the proportion of young people who gamble for money is increasing, especially among boys, where gambling has increased annually since 2019. At that time, the proportion was 27 percent. This year, it was 43 percent.
CAN's national school survey has been conducted annually since 1971 in ninth grade and the second year of high school.
Corrected: An earlier version contained an error regarding alcohol and cigarette consumption.
