One in three admit drug use

Between a quarter and a third admit using the most common illegal drug cannabis to ‘get high’, one in twenty admit using drugs known as legal highs, around one in ten admit using ecstasy, cocaine, sedatives, tranquillisers, anti-depressants and poppers. Not one respondent admitted using heroine, steroids or crack in the past year, although this does not necessarily mean that the drugs are not readily available.

The Department of Health published the findings of their report entitled ‘Drug Use in Ireland and Northern Ireland Drug Prevalence Survey 2010/11: Regional Drug Task Force (Ireland) and Health and Social Care Trust (Northern Ireland) Results.’

The findings of the report were drawn up by analysing the results of face-to-face questionnaires. A section in the report clarifies the methods used in the survey: “The questionnaires were administered through face-to-face interviews with respondents aged between 15 and 64 years and who are normally resident in households in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Thus persons outside these age ranges, or who do not normally live in private households, have not been included in the survey (for example prisons, nursing homes etc.).

“Fieldwork for the survey was carried out between October 2010 and May 2011 and the final achieved sample comprised 7,669 respondents (5,134 in Ireland and 2,535 in Northern Ireland). The response rate for the survey was 60 per cent in Ireland and 67 per cent in Northern Ireland.”

The report found that, of those who admitted drug use, cannabis was the drug most frequently used in all Health and Social Care Trusts. The profile of illegal drug users was similar across Northern Ireland: in general, men were more likely than women, and young adults were more likely than older adults, to use any illegal drugs.

The Belfast Trust area had the highest prevalence of people admitting to drug use in Northern Ireland.