Is drug use a problem among students?

In 2025, Utrecht's sewage contained five times as much cocaine as it did ten years earlier. The concentration is the highest since measurements began in 2011, according to annual research by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA).

“However, this increase does not indicate that the number of cocaine users has also increased,” notes prevention expert Sarah Graman, from Jellinek. “What they measured was the amount of metabolites in the sewage. These are breakdown products produced by the body. So, it may just as well be that the dose per line has increased, or that people who were already using cocaine have started using more.”

The use of most substances across the Netherlands remained fairly stable between 2021 and 2025, according to the latest Monitor on Mental Health and Substance Use among Higher Education Students, published by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the Trimbos Institute. Drug use rose slightly during the pandemic (2020-2021), but then declined again until 2023.

The Public Health Monitor published by the Municipality of Utrecht in the spring of 2024 shows that, similarly to other university cities, drug use in Utrecht is over 1.5 times higher than the national average of 9 per cent. According to the monitor, 16 per cent of Utrecht residents aged 16-26 had used hard drugs in the four weeks prior to the survey.

Ecstasy and 3- or 4-MMC are the most popular hard drugs, used by 8 per cent of the respondents in the four weeks prior to the survey, alongside the soft drug cannabis, used by 19 per cent of respondents in the same period. The use of 3- or 4-MMC rose from 3 per cent in 2021 to 8 per cent in 2024, whilst cocaine use fell over the same period. Young adults living with friends are more likely to use drugs than others.

When was the last time you took drugs?

The Utrecht police do not specifically target students when it comes to substance use. According to spokesperson Gijs van Nimwegen, the police prioritise drug users who cause a nuisance. “The fact that students take drugs at home or at clubs such as Woolloomooloo is nothing new, but since, from a criminological perspective, they do not cause a nuisance, this is not a priority for the police.”

From a societal and individual perspective, however, drug use can be problematic, according to the Trimbos Institute and Jellinek, which specialise in substance use and addiction. Students acknowledge that, too. For instance, a few years ago, the Utrecht-based student sorority UVSV sounded the alarm about excessive cocaine use amongst its members. Former UVSV Valerie Lhoëst stated at the time that cocaine had become a habit for an ever-growing group of students. She noted that social control was dropping in house parties and that students were under increasing peer pressure to join in.  

For this reason, in 2021, she and other students founded the foundation Waar trek jij de lijn (Where Do You Draw the Line), which organises annual symposia to raise students’ awareness of the social, personal and societal consequences of excessive substance use.

Sophie Smeets is a member of the foundation’s current board. She says that substance use appears to be more commonplace among the students attending the symposia. “The three hundred attendees must answer several questions. One of them is 'When was the last time you took drugs?' We have noticed that the number of people who say they did it 'in the past two weeks' has grown enormously."

“It has become more and more common for at least one person in a student house to have a bag of drugs in their room”

Where Do You Draw the Line Symposium. Photo: Utrecht University

Sophie believes that drug use has become more widespread among certain groups of students, and it is not uncommon for students to have a dealer's number. “Drug use is on the rise, especially at house parties and festivals, with party drugs such as 3-MMC, MDMA and ecstasy being the most commonly used substances. Cocaine is also popular. It has become more and more common for at least one person in a student house to have a bag of drugs in their room, and then these drugs are easily passed round the table.”

UU students Lola* and Pien*, who wish to remain anonymous because “our drug use isn’t something everyone needs to know about”, agree. “In my circle, people usually take drugs at festivals,” says Lola. “But on occasions like King’s Day and New Year’s Eve, they often do it at after parties at home too.” Pien says that drug use has become more commonplace at festivals: “It's rare to see anyone there who doesn’t take anything at all. One of the first questions people ask you there is: ‘What are you on?’” However, Pien and Lola say they don't know anyone who uses cocaine.

A non-representative survey of around forty final-year students, most from Utrecht University (UU), shows that most respondents do not use drugs, or use them very rarely. DUB asked the same question in students' group chats. There, nearly 75 per cent of students admit they take drugs on average once a month. Fifty per cent of them are men and fifty per cent are women. “When the house party season starts, the number of times people take drugs also increases,” says a resident of the IBB student housing complex. “The most popular drug is, by far, 3-MMC, but ecstasy, MDMA, ketamine, coke and magic mushrooms are popular, too.”

"Drug use has increased among certain groups of students."

Sarah Graman, from Jellinek, recognises the bigger picture here: usage depends heavily on the group. “Specific groups of students sometimes voice concerns, but they highlight the outliers, which are not representative of all students in Utrecht. If you look at students in general, you don’t see any major or unusual shifts. Students primarily consume a lot of alcohol. In recent years, people have started to pay more attention to other substances.”

She says that people are more open to talking about drug use, and that consumption has become more frequent or heavier in certain groups. “This mainly concerns groups of friends, such as those living together in the same home and their friend circles.”

What they use depends on what the group considers normal. “If someone pulls a little bag of coke out of their pocket at a birthday party where no one else uses the drug, students usually react by saying: 'We don’t do that here’. However, in a setting where that is considered normal, others think: ‘I can do it too.’”

The same takeaway emerged in a 2023 discussion held by the Municipality of Utrecht with ten students about drugs. The students said that they talk openly about the topic, both offline and online, but those who occasionally use hard drugs tend to do it in situations where others are also using them.

‘Why are you always the one who turns the light off last?’

The Covid-19 pandemic seems to have played a significant role in the rise in drug use amongst students, says Sophie, from Waar trek jij de lijn. Nightlife venues were closed, lectures were delivered online, and students didn't need to get up early because they didn't have much to do. “There were simply a lot of house parties going on. And people were taking drugs at many of those parties.” Jellinek confirms this.
 
According to Sophie, students say they aren't always under peer pressure, but peer pressure “surely" plays a part. “When we talk to people at the symposia, some say that their first time using drugs was actually a bit under pressure.”

Some of the people in the symposia have also witnessed how drug use can get out of hand. “The flatmate of a friend of mine became addicted. He started lying about things, and the roommates confronted him about it,” says Sophie. Lola also knows people who are prone to excessive substance use. “They say they will not do it again, but then they do it anyway. Afterwards, they regret it.”

Bringing up concerns about substance use remains difficult, says Graman from Jellinek. “Especially when all your friends are doing it, and it doesn’t seem to be a problem for them. That can really be a barrier. You see this clearly with alcohol. Everyone around you is drinking and seems to cope with it quite well, while you’re always the one who turns off the light last.”

"The vast majority of students will never use it"

Students can obtain information through Waar Trek Je De Lijn, Jellinek, and Trimbos. The student foundation focuses on raising awareness. "Students should know what they're taking and get their drugs tested.” In addition, the foundation seeks to highlight the impact of excessive substance use through the stories of guest speakers and a recently launched podcast series (available in Dutch only, Ed.). “The message is: don’t be indifferent and think carefully about your choices. Be mindful of the people around you and have the courage to talk to one another. For example, we've invited a mother to talk about the daughter she lost to drugs. We've noticed that, when she speaks, the students listen attentively and take it to heart.”

When the foundation was first set up, Jellinek helped it with questions and guidance. However, Graman says it is no longer actively collaborating with them. “It’s great that the foundation is a success and the focus on the issue is excellent, but in terms of approach and content, we didn’t fully support it. We don’t want to put people off.”

Furthermore, according to Graman, collective information campaigns on substance use can create the impression that it is normalised everywhere. “The vast majority of students will never use drugs, so such a discourse can wrongly give the impression that drug use is acceptable, or that it is part of student life.”

Trimbos also warns that reporting on substance use is not without risks: extensive publicity about drug use can create the impression that everyone uses drugs, which may actually encourage normalisation.

Since June, Trimbos and Jellinek have been part of a new partnership titled The student years of your life, in which they collaborate with the Municipality of Utrecht and several other educational and student organisations.

Graman: “We focus on alcohol consumption, but we’re also looking at other substances. It’s about new standards and policies, such as the idea that it’s OK not to drink on occasion, and providing support for early intervention: if you see someone using coke again at a party and get worried, where can you turn to and how can you best help this person?”

*DUB knows Lola and Pien's real names.

Student associations: strict policies, zero tolerance
Student associations adopt a zero-tolerance policy at their houses: alcohol is the only drug allowed. According to the students, members follow this rule. Study associations also have strict policies. Having clear rules works, according to prevention expert Sarah Graman, from Jellinek Utrecht. After all, members know where they stand. Outside the association's premises, such as in student houses, associations have less control over what goes on.

This article was produced in collaboration with the local newspaper DUIC.