While the overall number of people using illicit drugs has remained largely the same in the last few years, there has been an increase in the number of people using illegal stimulants, such as ecstasy and cocaine, a new survey has shown.

The Health Research Board (HRB) has published a report into the latest findings from the National Drug and Alcohol Survey (NDAS) 2019/20. This is the fifth survey of its type to be carried out since the first one was undertaken in 2002/03.

The last survey was carried out in 2014/2015.

According to these latest findings, 7% of people have used an illegal drug in the last year, which is unchanged since the 2014/15 survey. However, there has been an increase in the use of illegal stimulants, such as cocaine.

In fact, cocaine use has increased across all age groups. Men aged 25-34 were most likely to report use of this drug, rising from 2% in 2002/03 to 9% in 2019/20.

The report noted that an overall wider range of drugs is being used since the last survey. Some 25% of people who used drugs in the last year said they had used at least three different drugs, compared with 15% in 2014/15.

It also noted that cannabis use has fallen slightly, although almost 90% of people support permitting cannabis for medicinal purposes. At the same time, less than 30% support permitting it for recreational use.

Overall, those in the 15-24 age group were the most likely to report drug use and men were found to be twice as likely as women to use drugs.

Meanwhile, one in five drinkers admitted to having an alcohol use disorder (AUD). This increased to one in three among drinkers aged 15-24. Drinkers with an AUD were 13 times more likely to experience alcohol-related harm compared to low-risk drinkers.

Hazardous and harmful drinking patterns are most common among those aged 15-24, with 56% of this age group engaging in monthly binge drinking and 38% meeting the criteria for an AUD.

The survey noted that alcohol is the substance most commonly used with ecstasy, cannabis and cocaine. Over 90% of people who used cocaine in the last year used alcohol at the same time.

“Mixing drugs (polydrug use), particularly alcohol and cocaine, is a real concern because it can result in greater physical harm. It is important that we continue to monitor trends to inform public health decision making,” commented HRB research officer, Dr Deirdre Mongan.

However, the survey also found that the number of people abstaining from alcohol has risen since 2002/03, with notable increases among 15–24 year-olds (from 18% to 28%) and 25–34-year-olds (from 9% to 19%).

The age at which young people have their first drink has also risen, from 16 in 2002/03 to 17 in 2019/20.

“This is an encouraging finding, as the younger a person starts drinking, the more likely they are to develop an AUD in adulthood. Of concern however is the high prevalence of AUDs among young people who do drink,” Dr Mongan pointed out.

The report also found that there are fewer smokers than ever before and this latest survey marks the first time that the proportion of ex-smokers was found to be greater than current smokers.

“Smoking rates have now decreased by over 40% since 2002/03 when one-third of 15–64 year-olds smoked. There has also been an increase in the average age at which young people start to smoke.

“These positive changes in smoking are a reflection of government tobacco control policies that have been implemented, including graphic warnings on packaging, restrictions on sale, removal of point-of-sale tobacco displays and excise increases,” Dr Mongan said.

Meanwhile, the report also revealed that drug use disproportionately impacts more deprived communities, with 44% of people in the most deprived areas reporting a ‘very big’ or ‘fairly big’ problem with people using or dealing drugs in their local area, compared to 20% in the least deprived areas.

Commonly reported problems included drugs being too easily available, people dealing drugs and children/teenagers taking drugs.

“While there are almost equal numbers of people reporting drug use in less deprived areas as there are in deprived communities, the survey data reinforces the well-documented connection between the negative consequences of drug use and social disadvantage, and quantifies the very real human toll of drug-related intimidation for those living in these communities,” Dr Mongan added.

The report on the 2019/20 survey findings can be viewed here.