In January 2025, the Madrid government released the results of a study on the consumption of psychoactive substances in the region. Cannabis remains the most widely used substance, accounting for 50% of the total, and followed by opioid analgesics.
The survey, conducted at the end of 2024, involved over 1,500 participants. The data reveals that the most commonly used substances are sleeping pills (26%), cannabis (20%), and opioid analgesics (13%). This means that nearly 700,000 people aged 14 to 50 in the Madrid metropolitan area use cannabis. However, 54% of the residents in this age group claim they have never used any psychoactive substances in their lifetime.
As for the perception of psychotropic substances in Madrid society, cannabis is viewed in a more than neutral light, if not outright positively. The most dangerous and harmful drugs, in the eyes of the capital’s residents, are heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy.
👉 La Comunidad de Madrid presenta una encuesta sobre drogas donde el cannabis y los hipnosedantes acaparan casi la mitad del consumo.
✅ En marcha el 30% de las medidas incluidas en el Plan Regional contra las Drogas.#LasDrogasDestrozanTuVida
+Info: https://t.co/T5lvKmMvgJ pic.twitter.com/yS7iOM6DXU
— Comunidad de Madrid (@ComunidadMadrid) January 20, 2025
Portrait of the Typical Cannabis Consumer
Cannabis remains the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in Spain, according to the EDADES 2024 report.
The study reveals that 43.7% of the Spanish population has used marijuana at least once in their lifetime. Among individuals aged 15 to 64, 12.6% admitted to using it in the past 12 months, with 10.5% having consumed it in the past month. Daily cannabis use stands at 2.5%.
Who consumes cannabis the most in Spain? Marca Daily Newspaper recently published a profile of the typical cannabis user in Spain.
According to the report, men are more likely than women to use cannabis. A total of 51% of men have used cannabis at least once in their lifetime, compared to 36% of women, a difference of 16 percentage points. Additionally, 13.4% of men reported using cannabis in the past month, a figure that is significantly lower among women (just 7.6%). Compared to the previous survey in 2022, the prevalence of cannabis use has increased among both genders.
In terms of age, the highest rate of consumption occurs among those aged 15 to 24, as confirmed by both the EDADES report and the Survey on Drug Use in Secondary Education (ESTUDES), which collects data on the use of psychoactive substances among students aged 14 to 18. The prevalence of cannabis use exceeds 20% among those under 25 and gradually decreases with age, dropping to 2.6% among those aged 55 to 64.
In conclusion, young men aged 15 to 24 are the most consistent cannabis users in Spain.
Cannabis consumption in Barcelona
In 2022, a European study named Barcelona the city with the highest cannabis consumption, surpassing all other cities in Europe, including Amsterdam. Amsterdam came in second place, with cannabis consumption in Barcelona three times higher than in the Dutch capital.
Since 2022, no similar studies have been conducted, but it’s safe to assume that Barcelona’s position as the leader in cannabis consumption remains unchallenged. The city is home to over 600 cannabis clubs, frequented by both locals and tourists. Cannabis clubs operate as private institutions, where marijuana is grown for its enthusiasts through membership fees. Access to these establishments is only permitted with a membership card.
Last year, La Vanguardia reported that the legal cannabis market in Barcelona had exceeded 500 million euros annually (including medical cannabis), marking a 12% increase over the average annual revenue of the past decade.
Photo: published by the official account of Perfil oficial de la Comunidad de Madrid on X.
