Irish teenagers have the highest level of so-called binge drinking in Europe, and are almost twice as likely to smoke marijuana or hashish than the European average, major new research on 35 European countries has revealed.
The research, which was conducted among 15-year-olds last year as part of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), will be a source of concern to many parents and teachers here, and the findings have been acknowledged as "disappointing" by the Government.
The proportion of Irish teenagers who said they had been drunk during the previous 12 months (72 per cent) is substantially higher than the European average (53 per cent), while Ireland also ranked among the countries with the highest proportion of students who had been drunk 20 times or more in their lifetime (30 per cent).
A total of 39 per cent had used alcohol 40 times or more in their lifetime, while nearly 40 per cent had drunk either beer or spirits three times or more during the previous 30 days.
Some 67 per cent of Irish teenagers had also smoked during their lifetime, with 27 per cent having smoked 40 times or more in their lifetime. One in three had smoked in the previous 30 days.
While both of these figures are roughly equal to the European average, nearly one in 10 said they had used illicit drugs other than cannabis, while the number who had used inhalants (18 per cent) stood at almost twice the European average (10 per cent).
Similarly, nearly one in 10 said they had used alcohol in combination with pills, although only 2 per cent said they had used tranquillisers or sedatives without a doctor's prescription, a figure which is significantly lower than the average (6 per cent).
Among the other key findings of the research are:
32 per cent of Irish teenagers surveyed had engaged in binge drinking at least three times in the previous month, the highest level among all those surveyed;
5 per cent of Irish students had used ecstasy, while 39 per cent had used cannabis, of whom 17 per cent had used cannabis in the last 30 days;
and there were higher than average rates of smoking within "last month" among girls (37 per cent) than boys (28 per cent).
The Minister of State at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Mr Noel Ahern, yesterday said he was "very encouraged" by a drop in the reported use of many drugs, including amphetamines, LSD, solvents, tranquillisers and sedatives.
However, Mr Ahern, who has responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy, said he was "disappointed" to see an increase in cannabis use.
"We need to counter the perception amongst some that it is harmless," he said. "It can have many damaging effects on the physical and mental health of the user, particularly the young and those who are heavy users of the drug."
Cannabis use would be examined in the context of the mid-term review of the National Drugs Strategy, which is currently under way, he added.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Education and Science said it is "fully committed" to the National Drugs Strategy. The Department was particularly concerned about the need to educate young people in relation to alcohol and drug use, she added.