Drug Use Falls


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by Change | 30 Aug 2008

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Drug use continues to fall across the UK according to two new surveys, with the lowest levels of users in England and Wales.

The British Crime Survey 2008 shows that drug use among 16-59 year olds is the lowest it has been since the mid 1990s. The decline in cannabis use over the last fifteen years is labelled as a primary reason for this drop.

Cannabis has dropped. However, Cocaine use has risen

The second survey, conducted by the NHS Information Centre, demonstrates that all drug use, excluding cocaine, has fallen among young people in England since 2005. The most significant change is among 11-15 year olds, where cannabis use fell from 13 per cent in 2003 to 9.4 per cent in 2007. Class A drug use, however, has remained unchanged since 2001, with four per cent of pupils having taken Class A drugs in the last year.

Home Office minister Vernon Coaker claims that these new statistics demonstrate 'the success of the drug strategy.' Mentor UK chief executive Eric Carlin agrees.'It is very heartening to see drug use among young people falling,' he said. 'Progress is clearly being made to protect children and young people from the harms that drugs cause.'

There will still be a focus, however, on the young people across the country who are still affected by drug use. 'We know that we can't be complacent about this issue,' he added. 'There remains a minority who are doing great harm to themselves, their families and the communities they live in.'

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