Survey finds increased use of cocaine

Research on drug use published today has found a significant increases in cocaine use and that cannabis is still the most common drug used.

The Minister of State with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy, John Curran, today presented results from the National Drug Prevalence Survey in Ireland 2006/07, which follows a similar piece of research commissioned in 2002/3.

The research, commissioned by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs, provides a regional breakdown of prevalence rates, based on Regional Drugs Task Force (RDTF) area, for use of all illegal drugs, tobacco, alcohol, sedatives and tranquillisers, anti-depressants and anabolic steroids.

Increases in lifetime use were observed since the previous survey in 2002/3 across a range of illegal drugs among all adults aged 15-64, with lifetime use of cocaine rising significantly in five RDTF areas.

In the Midland RDTF, for example, lifetime cocaine use was 4.4 per cent in 2006/07 compared to 1.3 per cent in 2002/03; the North Eastern RDTF had figures of 1.2 per cent in 2002/03 and 5.6 per cent in 2006/07, while the Northern Area had figures of 5.2 per cent rising to 11 per cent for the respective periods.

The illegal drug prevalence was 24 per cent among those aged 15-64, with 7.2 per cent respondents having used illegal drugs in the past year, and 2.9 per cent in the past month.

Cannabis was the most commonly used illegal drug in all RDTF areas across all time periods, with prevalence rates for all other illegal drugs considerably lower than the rates for cannabis in all RDTF areas.

For cannabis, 21.9 per cent of respondents reported ever taking the drug; 6.3 per cent had done so in the previous year, and 2.6 per cent in the previous month. Young adults aged 15-34 were more likely than older adults aged 35-64, to report lifetime use (28.6 per cent compared to 16.1 per cent),

Last year, use of cocaine on average ranked second after cannabis and followed by ecstasy (3rd) and magic mushrooms (4th), the report found.

The survey found that lifetime use of any illegal drugs varied from 38 per cent in the East Coast RDTF to as low as 14 per cent in the North Western RDTF.

The NACD chairman, Dr Des Corrigan, also noted that the Western, South Eastern, Mid Western and North Western show higher prevalence for lifetime and last-year use of anti-depressants

Commenting on the findings, the Minster of State, Mr Curran, said: “The report highlights significant increases in lifetime use of illegal drugs among all adults aged 15-64 in the East Coast, the Midland and the Western RDTF areas.

“However, decreases in the lifetime use of amphetamines and LSD in the South Western RDTF and in lifetime use of alcohol in the Southern RDTF shows promise.”

"This survey confirms that illegal drug use is a nationwide problem and highlights the need for a sustained commitment to tackle the problem in the years ahead," the Minister added.

The NACD provides guidance to the Government on the prevalence, prevention, consequences and treatment issues relating to drugs.

Labour spokesperson on community affairs Jack Wall said the government's will to fight the problem of drug abuse had "clearly evaporated."

"Labour believes that drug strategies should be integrated with other social inclusion strategies such as an active labour market and local area renewal measures, to give a new sense of community and renewal to the drug epidemic black spots," he said.

He called for the expansion of rehabilitation services and the allocation of adequate funding for community based drug projects.