In Uruguay, teenagers have not seen marijuana consumption skyrocket, unlike alcohol and energy drinks, drugs that are entirely legal, were the true stars of youth risk.

The X National Survey on Drug Consumption in High School Students, conducted between September and November 2024 with over 5,000 young people in Uruguayan cities, reveals a worrying picture: alcohol was tried by 67% of teenagers in the last year and was the most abused; energy drinks, with 66% annual consumption, are the gateway to substance use, starting around age 13.

In addition, cigarettes and vapes recorded a combined prevalence of 17%, while marijuana use dropped to 15%, with stable problematic consumption below 2%.

Legal doesn't mean safe

The president of ANEP, Pablo Caggiani, emphasizes that the biggest problem lies precisely in legal drugs that have an industry behind them that, even though regulated, continue to raise concerns in adolescence. The combination of energy drinks with alcohol triples the risks, and early consumption begins at a stage where the impacts on development are still uncertain.

With information from El Planteo.