Cannabis use among young Irish people higher than EU average

More than half of young Irish people think cannabis should be regulated, according to a new EU survey.

The Eurobarometer survey was carried out by telephone for the European Commission between June 3rd and 23rd. There were 500 Irish participants among 13,130 interviewees across Europe.

It focused on young Europeans and dealt with levels of drug use, perceived risk of certain substances, as well as opinions on regulating drugs and dealing with drug problems in society.

The survey found some 56 per cent of young Irish people believe cannabis should be regulated, an increase of 15 per cent since the last survey in 2011.

The number who consider regular cannabis use to be dangerous was down 6 per cent to 46 per cent. This compared to 63 per cent of young Europeans.

The survey also found 16 per cent of young Irish people had used cannabis in the last 30 days, a rise of 7 per cent. The same percentage had used cannabis in the EU in the last 30 days.

‘Designer drugs’

More than one in five young Irish people had used “designer drugs” in the last 30 days, an increase of 6 per cent.

Some 53 per cent of young Europeans said cannabis should be banned, compared to 43 per cent of young Irish people, which was a decrease of 9 per cent.

Opinions on the banning of Class A substances such as heroin, cocaine and ecstasy were similar across Irish and European youths, with some 90 per cent in favour.

Asked whether regular alcohol intake was dangerous, 57 per cent of young Europeans said yes, compared with 42 per cent of young Irish people – a rise of 11 per cent.

Some 23 per cent of young Irish people said tobacco should be banned. This was an increase of 6 per cent, and was 7 per cent higher than the EU average.