Drug habits that die hard

Drug-taking is not just a problem for the young; it has now been identified as a growing trend among older users. BRIAN O'CONNELLspeaks to some of them

PROVING THAT you’re never too old to move on to straight street, Sir Paul McCartney (69) announced recently he has decided to give up smoking cannabis and weed for the sake of his youngest daughter, Beatrice.

Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine, McCartney said a “sense of responsibility” had forced him to rethink his recreational drug use, which has resulted in him being arrested several times over the years.

Speaking of his drugs past, McCartney said: “I smoked my share. When you’re bringing up a youngster your sense of responsibility does kick in, if you’re lucky, at some point.”

Health campaigners have welcomed McCartney’s decision as it comes following a new study that shows drug use among an older generation is on the increase. The study, which was published in Age and Ageing and led by Professor Robert Stewart of the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College, London, showed that illicit drug use among the over-50s has risen tenfold since the mid-1990s in the UK.

Stewart said: “The key message of this paper confirms something that has been long suspected but which has not, to our knowledge, ever been formally investigated in the UK, namely that illicit drug use will become more common in older generations over the next one to two decades.”

While drug use in Ireland among the 15-34 age group has decreased slightly according to recent figures, among an older age group some increases have been noticed, proving habits can be hard to break once lifestyle patterns become established.

A survey by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs in 2011 revealed a very significant decline in the number of young people taking cocaine, but highlighted that the drug remained popular among the older age group.

Dr Chris Luke, a consultant in emergency medicine and long-time campaigner on alcohol and drug issues, says that older drug use is becoming evident at the front line of emergency health care. “My view is that we are seeing the ageing of the baby-boomers, and we also have this phenomenon of the perpetual adolescent. They don’t just want to move like Jagger, but they want to live like him too into their middle and older age. The difficulty I have with this is that the longer you take drugs, the more you are at risk of many complications, whether that is cannabis-related driving accidents, fatal overdoses or the general health effects of smoking and alcohol catching up with you.”

Perhaps the most common drug among older users is cannabis, often seen as less harmful and more tolerated by society than so-called harder drugs.

“Smoking cannabis creates an apathetic approach to life and doesn’t promote sociability,” says Luke. “In the UK they estimate that 10 per cent of 60-year-olds still dabble with cannabis. The ultimate icon of the ageing drug-taker is Paul McCartney and we know recently he announced he is giving it up because of his youngest child. It begs the question of why he didn’t adopt that sense of responsibility sooner with his other children. The great problem with continued drug taking in older life is the indifference and lack of commitment to those around you.”

Paul Sheppard is a 46-year-old self-employed recreational user of cannabis who says he has no intention of giving up. He rejects the notion that his drug use is damaging his health or affecting his approach to life. Sheppard says he has developed a more mature and sensible relationship with drugs as he has gotten older and believes his drug use now compared to his late teens is far more responsible.

“I found that cannabis increased my enjoyment of my social life. I never had any problem with it. I drink socially and looking back over my life, any problems I may have had were as a result of over-drinking. My lungs are fine. I’ve done a bit of research and from what I know and have been learning, cannabis use has minimal if any health effects. I’m not worried about that at all.”

Sheppard says he doesn’t buy the drug and sources it from friends and believes it should be made legal. As for other drugs, he says he is more wary.

“The main problem with any drug is irresponsible behaviour. Some people might get into a car or on a bike or be silly in public, which is giving drug use a bad name. Cannabis can be used responsibly by mature adults. When I smoke I don’t do any harm and I really believe that. With alcohol I do drink more than the recommended levels but cannabis helps me stop over-indulging. I have tried cocaine on three occasions in my whole life and it is not sometime I enjoy. I don’t go near it as I’m afraid of getting addicted. I think ecstasy is a great drug but it is not something I do that often as I worry about the long-term effects of taking it.”

Another regular drug user is 40-year-old John from Cork (not his real name). He is a a separated father of four, and smokes cannabis regularly when on holidays or at times in the week when he has less responsibilities.

“I love sitting down and getting into a book or some music after a joint. If you drive through town on a Friday or Saturday night, you tell me what is more harmful – the guy at home having a joint or those falling around the streets?”

John says many of his friends in their 40s and 50s would still be regular drug users, but that inevitably their partying is more tempered now than it was in their younger days. “Most of the people I know would still smoke cannabis. None of us party as hard as we did but if there is a joint going around, we’ll all have a puff,” he says.

“Having said that, I am separated and when the kids are with me, I won’t smoke cannabis. Also, if I have stuff to do, I generally wouldn’t smoke. If I know I don’t have to get up in the morning or have much to do the next day, then I’ll probably have a joint.”