scotPHO introduction:
  Alcohol
  Diet & Nutrition
  Drugs
Key points
  Introduction
  Policy context
  Data
  Key data sources
  Key references and evidence
  Useful links
  Multiple Risk Factors
  Physical Activity
  Sexual Health
  Tobacco Use
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Drug Misuse: key points

  • Surveys consistently indicate that cannabis is by far the most commonly used drug among all segments of the population.
  • The most recent Scottish estimate of the number of problematic drug users (opiates and benzodiazepines), aged between 15 and 64, was 55,328 in 2006. This corresponds to 1.62% of the population aged between 15 and 64. Two-thirds of problematic users are male.
  • In 2008, there were 574 drug related deaths (119 more than in 2006). Most deaths (86%) were in persons aged under 45 and men accounted for 80% of deaths.
  • During 2008/09 there were 5,867 general acute hospital discharges with a diagnosis of drug misuse, a rate of 118 discharges per 100,000 population
  • The total number of Injecting Drug Users known to be infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is 15,467.
  • The Drug Misuse Information Scotland website is a unique resource holding and linking to a vast range of information, research and statistics on drug misuse in Scotland, UK and Europe.

 

 

 Section Updates:

  • The last major update of this section was completed in March 2010.
  • The next major update is due to be carried out by the end of March 2011.