A new report has found that men between the ages of 15-24 are the largest users of illegal drugs, with one in four reportedly taking an illegal drug in the last year.
Launched in the Department of Health this afternoon by Minister for Communities and National Drugs Strategy, Catherine Byrne, the report by the National Advisory Committee of Drugs and Alcohol looked at how widespread drug use is in both Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The report, which surveyed over 7,000 people from across Ireland, found that the use of drugs is becoming more common, with Ireland showing higher rates of drug use compared to Northern Ireland. The most commonly used drug across all genders and age groups was cannabis.
The report, which is carried out every four years, found that the 8.9 per cent of those surveyed reported using drugs. This is a significant increase from the last survey, where the same figure was 7 per cent.
The prevalence of ecstasy has also increased significantly since 2010/11, with 4.4 per cent of those aged 15-34 using the drug in the last year, compared to 0.9 per cent in 2010/2011.
Speaking at the launch today, Prof Catherine Comiskey, Chairperson of the National Advisory Committee of Drugs and Alcohol, said she was “disheartened” by the figures in relation to young men. Comiskey, who is also Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Trinity, pointed out that “young men are at risk and young men are always at risk”.
Byrne echoed these worries: “I was really taken by what was said about young people and about how providing all the preventions that are out there and the education around drug use that there’s still so many young people as young as 15 participating in taking illegal substances.”
The report also found that drug use was significantly lower among women, with only one in eight females aged 15-24 admitting to having taken an illegal drug in the past year. The use of opiates is the only category of illegal drug which sees more female use.
The report comes following a number of other surveys that have indicated an increased use of drugs among young people. A National Student Drug Survey completed by 300 Trinity students through an anonymous online survey in 2015 found that around 75 per cent had used illegal drugs in the past.
Byrne said that there is a still a “real problem” with young people buying drugs off the “dark net” but explained that there was “significant work” going on between the Gardai and Irish customs officials to put a stop to the online trading of illegal drugs.
In October, Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Council voted to adopt a pro-decriminalisation stance on drugs. This follows several campaigns, such as last year’s “What’s in the Pill?”, aimed at educating students about what drugs contain and what they’re consuming, rather than focusing on discouraging drug use.
Byrne and Comiskey both argued for greater education surrounding the effects of drugs. “How do you prevent young people from, I suppose, participating in the taking of illegal substances? I think through education and community work”, Byrne said, adding that the country needs to “think outside the box” when considering how to educate young people surrounding the dangers of illegal drugs.
