Cannabis continues to be the most commonly used illegal drug on the island of Ireland according to new report on drug abuse. Drug use in Ireland and Northern Ireland, a survey for the period 2014/2015, found ecstasy, poppers and cocaine were the most often used drugs of abuse after cannabis. However a key finding of the report is that levels of illegal drug use have risen in Ireland since 2010/11.
Although more than a quarter of people admit to taking cannabis during their lifetime, the more sensitive measures of drug use – last year use and current use – reveal some worrying trends. Some 4.4 per cent of 15-34 year olds reporting use of ecstasy in the last year compared to 0.9 per cent in 2010/11.
Men aged 15-24 have the highest recent use of all illegal drugs (one in four) while approximately one in eight females aged 15-24 reported using an illegal drug in the last year.
On a positive note legislative efforts to curb the use of new psychoactive substances (NPS) – so called “legal highs” – seem to be bearing fruit: NPS use has dropped significantly, from 3.5 per cent of respondents in 2010/11 reporting recent use to 0.8 per cent of respondents in the 2014/15 survey.
In Northern Ireland more than a quarter of people surveyed reported having used an illegal drug during their lifetime, with six per cent having done so during the previous year and three per cent during the last month.
Launching the report, Minister of State for Communities and the National Drugs Strategy Catherine Byrne made an important observation about the gendered nature of drug abuse when she said: "these new survey findings suggest that there is a continuing need for preventative measures under the National Drugs Strategy that focus on young people, particularly young men, their families and communities".
With that in mind, she must ensure adequate funding is ring -fenced for innovative strategies to combat drug abuse. From the combined perspectives of public health and cost effectiveness, prevention is indeed better than cure.