The 2025 edition of the study, led by Gniewko Więckiewicz of the Medical University of Silesia in the southern city of Zabrze, surveyed nearly 2,500 people aged 13 to 63, with an average age of 27.
Conducted through anonymous online questionnaires, it aimed to track patterns of drug use in the context of psychiatry and harm reduction. The data shows that 97.9 percent of respondents said they had tried marijuana at least once, and 85 percent reported using it in the past year.
This makes cannabis the most commonly used illicit drug in the study group, following alcohol, caffeine and nicotine.
MDMA (75.9 percent) and mephedrone, along with other synthetic cathinones, ranked next in popularity.
“Marijuana was the most commonly used substance after alcohol, caffeine and nicotine,” said Więckiewicz, noting that most users reported infrequent use. Roughly 36 percent said they took drugs only a few times a year, and mainly in social settings or at home.
The popularity of stimulant drugs, particularly mephedrone, is rising and increasingly leading to medical consultations, according to Więckiewicz. Meanwhile, the use of psychedelics appears to be declining, possibly due to reduced attention in mainstream media.
One shift causing concern is the growing number of people who take drugs alone. A quarter of respondents said they used substances in isolation – up from 18.2 percent in 2021 and 20.2 percent in 2023.
“This may reflect increasing loneliness in society and deserves further research,” Więckiewicz said.
“There are growing signs of social harm,” he added. “Compared to previous years, more people report problems with the law or disruptions to daily life, which could signal a worsening trend.”
Sixty percent of participants admitted to neglecting daily responsibilities at least once due to drug use, and nearly 17 percent reported legal problems. Only 40 percent said they would disclose their substance use to a doctor under any circumstance.
The study also found that most users have little control over the quality of what they consume.
More than 83 percent had never tested their drugs’ composition, and over half gauged doses visually rather than using proper measurement or testing methods.
“There’s a disturbing rise in people relying on guesswork when it comes to dosage,” said Więckiewicz. “They’re not using reagent tests or lab analysis, which increases the risks.”
Another trend is the growing use of anonymous online platforms, including darknet marketplaces, to purchase the drugs. Fewer users are buying from friends, which could reduce access to informal knowledge about safer use.
On alcohol, 72.9 percent of respondents said they drank, with beer remaining the most common choice despite a decline in consumption from 56.3 percent in 2021 to 48.2 percent in 2025.
More people reported abstaining or drinking less frequently.
Nicotine use stood at 67.3 percent, with e-cigarettes (26.2 percent) narrowly ahead of traditional cigarettes (23.8 percent).
Więckiewicz concluded on a cautiously optimistic note, pointing to “a rising social acceptance of psychiatry” in Poland – a trend he believes could help address the wider harms associated with drug use.
Nearly half of respondents reported receiving psychiatric treatment, mostly in private clinics.
Depression was the most common diagnosis, and among those treated, over 41 percent had attempted suicide.
The PolDrugs study is conducted every two years, state news agency PAP reported.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP