The ESPAD Northern Cyprus Study, 2025/2026 School Year
Substance Abuse in Northern Cyprus: Trends, Risks, and Responses
About the Book
When we began this research, we asked a simple question: what evidence do we have about young people’s substance use in Northern Cyprus? Until now, we often relied on impressions, individual cases, or data from other countries. ESPAD is a school-based survey conducted using the same methodology across more than forty European countries for over three decades. Under the coordination of the Prime Ministry Anti-Drug Commission, we have now conducted the survey in Northern Cyprus for the third time. This book presents the findings from the 2025/2026 academic year. With data from three periods, we can now see not only current rates but also how they are changing, including changes in age at first use, perceived accessibility, and perceptions of risk. Some findings were expected; others were not. We present them as they are, because data should help us ask better questions and make better decisions.
Keywords
Addiction
adolescents
ESPAD
Northern Cyprus
substance use