Cannabis use is stabilising in Europe but consumption of drugs like heroin and cocaine is on the rise, the European Union drug agency said.
"Europe may now be moving into a new phase (in cannabis consumption), as data are pointing to a stabilising or even decreasing situation," the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) said in its annual report.
A spokesman for the agency said the estimated number of cannabis users in the 15-34 year age group last year was unchanged from 2006 at 17.5 million.
Significant drops in cannabis use have been reported over the past few years in countries with the highest consumption levels in Europe.
In Britain, for example, 15.6% of those aged between 15 and 34 are estimated to have consumed cannabis in 2007, down from 20% in 2003. France showed a similar trend, dropping to 16.7% last year from 19.7% in 2003.
According to the agency, at least 23 million Europeans, of all ages, used cannabis last year.
The agency said, however, that domestic production of cannabis is becoming an important issue in Europe. Recent surveys show that around 200,000 people in France had grown cannabis at least once and that police in the UK closed down 1,500 "cannabis farms" in 2006.
Heroin use has risen, bucking a downward trend in recent years, with increases in heroin-related deaths, seizures and demand for new treatment, the agency said.
Cocaine use continued to grow, the agency said, with demand for treatment growing substantially in recent years "and now even exceeding use of heroin treatment in some countries".
Around four million Europeans are estimated to have used cocaine last year, with Spain and the United Kingdom reporting the largest concentrations of use of that drug.
