On November 4, the newspaper Ara interviewed researcher Simone Capozzi, member of the Youth, Society and Communication Research Group (JOVIS), to discuss the latest findings from the 2025 Secondary Education Drug Use Survey (ESTUDES). The survey shows a decline in cannabis, alcohol, and tobacco use among adolescents. Minister Mónica García emphasized that “young people in our country now have the healthiest habits seen in the last 25 years”.

During the interview, Capozzi highlighted that "the survey data align closely with consumption trends observed in other European countries," according to EUDA, and pointed to a key role for prevention policies and greater access to information on psychoactive substances. However, he noted that the use of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) and prescription-free psychotropic medications remains unchanged compared to last year, warning about unknown health risks of synthetic cannabinoids and the rise of recreational ketamine use among certain age groups.

Capozzi stressed the importance of focusing on gender differences in consumption and advocated moving beyond the “drug” category toward a more neutral, scientific approach using the term “intoxicants”. For further details, the original news article is available at diari Ara: https://www.diaridebarcelona.cat/w/experts-alerten-problema-habitatge-condema-joventut.