France’s cocaine consumption almost doubled in a year, putting it on par with Britain, according to a new study.

The French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT) found that 1.1 million people in France took the drug at least once in 2023, compared to 600,000 users in 2022.

Research from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed that the UK had the worst cocaine habit in Europe in 2023, with 2.7 per cent of adults aged 15 to 64 using the drug.

But France’s consumption has now reached a similar figure, with the study also finding that 2.7 per cent of French adults used the drug in 2023.

Various factors explain this dramatic rise, including growth in production and the drug’s changing image.

International production is at an all-time high. The three main producers – Columbia, Bolivia and Peru – have increased their production by 1,566 tons between 2010 and 2022, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.