A new study of adolescents in Ibiza has found a marked decline in tobacco and cannabis use over the past eight years, while vaping and energy drinks have emerged as two of the main areas of concern among young people on the island.

The 2026 Study on Substance Use Among Adolescents in Ibiza was carried out by the Centre d'Estudis i Prevenció de Conductes Addictives (CEPCA) of the Consell d'Eivissa. It continues the research carried out in 2018 and 2022, allowing changes in consumption patterns to be compared over time.

A total of 3,117 students from 18 educational centres took part in the 2026 study. They represented 36.4% of a wider population of 8,567 students across nine educational levels in ESO, Bachillerato and vocational training.

Tobacco Use Has Fallen Significantly

Tobacco shows the most pronounced decline among the substances that can be compared with previous editions of the study.

In 2026, 81.5% of respondents said they had never smoked. That compares with 67.5% in 2022 and 59.9% in 2018.

The proportion who had ever smoked therefore fell from around 40% in 2018 to 18.5% in 2026.

Daily tobacco smoking is now reported at 1.3% of respondents.

The study identifies tobacco as the substance showing the largest reduction compared with the previous editions.

Cannabis Consumption Also Declines

Cannabis use has followed a similar downward trend.

The percentage of students who said they had never consumed cannabis increased from 68.3% in 2018 to 76.7% in 2022 and 86.1% in 2026.

Cannabis use during the previous 30 days fell from 16.2% in 2018 to 9.8% in 2022 and 4.9% in 2026.

The study therefore records a substantial decline in both lifetime and recent cannabis use among the surveyed students.

Vaping Becomes a Major Concern

At the same time, vaping has become one of the most prominent new concerns identified by CEPCA.

Some 14.9% of students said they had used a vape during the previous 30 days, making vaping the third most prevalent product in the study after energy drinks and alcohol when looking at recent consumption.

Among those who vape, 68.6% reported using products containing nicotine, while a further 19.6% said they use both nicotine and non-nicotine products.

The average age at which students began vaping was 13.3 years.

The study also found that 6.8% of students vape daily or almost daily, compared with 1.3% who smoke tobacco daily.

Access is another concern. Among underage consumers surveyed, 54.7% said they had personally bought their vaping products, while Instagram profiles were identified as one of the main reported purchasing routes.

Energy Drinks Are the Most Widely Consumed Product

Energy drinks produced another striking result.

Overall, 72.3% of students said they had tried or consumed an energy drink at some point, while 31.5% had consumed one during the previous 30 days.

The average age of first consumption was 12.3 years, the youngest average starting age recorded among the products highlighted in the study.

Around 36% of those who consume energy drinks said they use them to reduce tiredness or obtain more energy for sport.

The study also found that 63.6% said their families allow them to consume energy drinks.

Among energy-drink consumers, 20.7% reported mixing them with alcohol during the previous 30 days.

Alcohol Remains Common

Despite a decline compared with previous studies, alcohol remains the most commonly consumed recreational substance among the products classified as such.

The 2026 study found that 56.6% of students had consumed alcohol at some point, compared with 66.9% in 2018.

Recent consumption was reported by 23.1% of respondents during the previous 30 days.

The average age of first alcohol consumption was 13.3 years.

The study also found that 51% of students said they had never been drunk, compared with 42.6% in 2022 and 44.1% in 2018.

Among students who consume alcohol, 56.6% said their families allow them to drink.

Nitrous Oxide Appears in the Study for the First Time

The 2026 research also includes nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, for the first time.

Some 4.5% of students reported having consumed it at least once.

The study also introduced questions about snus, or nicotine pouches placed in the mouth. According to the reported results, 3.7% of respondents had tried them.

Because these products were not included in the same way in the earlier surveys, their figures cannot simply be used to establish an eight-year trend in the same manner as tobacco or cannabis.

Risk Perception Is Another Concern

The study highlights differences in how adolescents perceive the risks associated with different products.

Around half of respondents considered vaping to be little or not dangerous, while roughly 40% held a similar view of alcohol.

Only around two in ten adolescents considered energy drinks to be quite or very dangerous.

The findings therefore point not only to changing consumption patterns but also to gaps in how young people understand the potential risks associated with some products.

The Internet Is Becoming a Key Source of Information

The study also examined where adolescents obtain information about drugs.

The internet was identified as the leading source, cited by 52.8% of respondents.

At the same time, parents remain an important source of information. Around 75% of students said their families had spoken to them about drugs, although the proportion identifying their mother or father as an information source has declined compared with previous studies.

CEPCA's work includes prevention programmes in schools, family advice and research into addictive and risk-related behaviours among young people.

A Changing Picture of Adolescent Consumption

The 2026 study presents a mixed picture.

Tobacco and cannabis use among surveyed adolescents have fallen substantially compared with 2018 and 2022, while alcohol consumption has also declined.

At the same time, vaping and energy drinks are widespread, and the study identifies concerns around early use, access, nicotine consumption and perceptions of risk.

The results provide a snapshot of reported behaviour among the 3,117 students who participated. They should not be interpreted as meaning that every adolescent in Ibiza follows the same consumption patterns, but they offer the latest available comparison of substance-use habits among the island's school population.

Accuracy note: The figures above refer to the 2026 CEPCA study of 3,117 students from 18 Ibiza educational centres. The comparisons with 2018 and 2022 apply to substances and indicators measured comparably across the editions. Nitrous oxide and snus were newly included in the 2026 study, so their figures should not be presented as evidence of an eight-year increase or decrease. The statement that vaping or energy drinks have “replaced” tobacco or cannabis has also been avoided because the study demonstrates changing prevalence, not a direct causal substitution between products.