Senda Study Reveals Decrease in Alcohol and Marijuana Use Among Students, But Rise in Prescription-Free Tranquilizers

Original article: Estudio Senda: Disminuye consumo de alcohol y marihuana en estudiantes pero aumenta uso de tranquilizantes sin receta médica

A decrease in marijuana and alcohol consumption has been reported alongside a concerning rise in the use of prescription-free tranquilizers, according to the Third Study on Drug Use in Higher Education conducted by Senda (National Service for the Prevention and Rehabilitation of Drug and Alcohol Consumption).

Conducted between May 15 and July 27, 2025, the research surveyed 28,362 students from 66 higher education institutions across all 16 regions of Chile through an anonymous online questionnaire administered by the Chilean Drug Observatory of Senda.

Initially, the agency highlighted that the prevalence of alcohol consumption in the last month was 42.3%. However, among those who drank during that period, 60.9% reported having been intoxicated at least once, which reflects patterns of intense and potentially risky consumption.

«In the case of marijuana, 23.0% of students reported using it in the last year (31.6% in 2021), with 14.0% using it in the last month. Among this latter group, 6.6% of the total student population used marijuana for ten or more days during that time, indicating more intense usage patterns,» stated the agency.

In this context, Senda’s National Director, Natalia Riffo, noted that «fewer students are consuming drugs, but those who do are engaging in more intense usage. These patterns do not necessarily indicate problematic consumption but are warning signs that need to be addressed through prevention efforts.»

Prescription-Free Medications

The study also identified the consumption of non-prescription medications in the past year, primarily tranquilizers (5.7%), analgesics (3.3%), and stimulants (1.7%).

In the case of tranquilizers, the result is an increase from 4.5% observed in 2021. Senda warned that these types of practices could relate to coping mechanisms for stress or academic demands, highlighting the importance of integrating mental health into preventive strategies.

Regarding synthetic drugs, the study shows usage rates for the past year hovering around 2%, including ecstasy or MDMA (1.7%), tusi or ketamine (2.2%), and other synthetic drugs (0.8%).

Sample Distribution

Regarding the distribution of the sample by sex, it reported that 60.5% identified as female, 37.2% as male, and 2.3% preferred not to respond.

By age, the sample covered segments of 17 to 20 years (36.8%); 21 to 22 years (19.9%); 23 to 24 years (11.8%); and 25 years or older (31.5%).

El Ciudadano