EU drug agency warns of growing youth substance use and online grooming

A recent ESPAD survey in Montenegro revealed that 73% of adolescents have tried alcohol at least once, with 42% doing so before age 13. Use of e‑cigarettes is rising – 31% have ever tried them, 17% in the past month and 7% daily – and cannabis experimentation has increased to 9.6% ever. Lifetime cocaine use among students stands at 5.4%, more than double the European average, while other psycho‑active substances also show upward trends. Experts stress the need for comprehensive, evidence‑based prevention programmes in schools and the broader community to strengthen social and emotional skills and reduce peer pressure.

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) released two reports highlighting broader risks. One warns that criminal networks increasingly lure minors through gaming platforms, employing “gamification” and emotional manipulation to recruit them into drug‑related crime, and outlines eight intervention areas from family support to digital safety measures. The second examines the environmental damage caused by cocaine production, noting deforestation, water, soil and air pollution from chemicals used in processing, and calls for systematic monitoring using satellite imagery, drones and field sampling. Both reports call for coordinated, multilevel strategies to curb youth involvement in drug markets and mitigate ecological harm.