Drug Misuse: adult illicit drug use

Information on the extent of illicit drug use is derived from surveys of samples of the general population. Collecting accurate information on illicit drug use is notoriously difficult because of its hidden and illegal nature. Surveys vary in terms of the number of participants and the degree to which they are representative of the wider population and, therefore, some caution is needed in interpretation of estimates.

The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey is one source of information on illicit drug use among adults. Some of the findings from the most recent survey (2010/11) are summarised below

• In 2010/11, 6.6 % of respondents (aged 16 years and over) had used illicit drugs during the previous year, compared with 7.2% in 2009/10.
• Approximately one in twenty-eight (3.5% ) reported using one or more illicit drugs in the last month, i.e. the month prior to survey interview.
• The proportion of adults aged 16 and over reporting having ever used illicit drugs, use in the previous year and month prior to survey interview had decreased over last three years (see Chart 1 (view chart)
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• The most commonly reported illicit drug used within the last year was cannabis; 5.6% adults aged 16 years and over in 2010/11. Cannabis was also the most frequently used drug in the last month with 3.0% of adults (16 years and over) reporting its use in the month. The next most commonly used drugs in the last month were cocaine (0.7% ) and ecstasy (0.6% ).
• Higher levels of drug misuse are seen among males than females. The 2010/11 survey found that 9.5% of males aged 16 and over reported illicit drug use in the previous year, compared to 3.9% of females. 5.3% of men and 1.8% of women surveyed, reported illicit drug use in the last month.
• 20.3% of 16-24 year olds reported using drugs in the last year, compared with 9.2% of those aged 25-44, 2.5% of 45-59 year olds and 0.2% of those aged 60 or older.