Half our youth have tried illegal drugs

Three research studies on aspects of the illicit drug problem have been published by the Home Office. Bob Ainsworth, a minister in that department, says, "Taken together these reports mean that the Government is now in a better position to monitor the progress of the Drug StrategyThe research confirms the relationship between Class A drug use and crime and the importance of continuing to use the criminal justice system to identify problematic drug users and provide them with appropriate treatment and other programmes of help."

Drug Misuse Declared in 2000: Key Findings from the British Crime Survey presents data on the level of drug use in the general population, with a focus on young people aged 16-24. Findings show that half of this age group have tried illegal drugs at some point in their lives, compared with one in ten adults more generally, although this falls to 29 per cent for use during the last year and 18 per cent for the last month. Cannabis remains the most widely used drug in all age groups. The proportion of 16 to 24 year olds who had used the drug during the past year was 26 per cent, much the same as in other years. For all adults, aged 16 to 59, the figure was 9 per cent.

Whilst the use of most drugs has remained stable, there has been a marked fall from 34 per cent to 27 per cent for the category "any illicit drug" among 16 to 24 year olds. There has been a significant increase since 1994 in the use of cocaine, the figure for the whole adult group now standing at 5 per cent. "Young people," says the report, "now appear to be using cocaine alongside ecstasy as a 'club drug' replacing amphetamine as the stimulant of choice."

Drug Use and Offending: summary results from the first year of the NEW-ADAM research programme is the second report from the Home Office. The NEW-ADAM programme carried out interviews and voluntary urine tests to establish the prevalence of drug use among those who had been arrested.

The urine tests established that 65 per cent of arrestees showed positive for one or more illegal drugs – 30 per cent for two or more. 29 per cent proved positive for opiates (including heroin).

The report says that a "longer term aim of the drug strategy is to reduce the levels of repeat offending among drug misusing offenders. 15 per cent of those interviewed were repeat offenders regularly using heroin and/or [sic] cocaine/crack. The target is to reduce the size of this group by 25 per cent in 2005 and by 50 per cent in 2008."

Users of both heroin and cocaine/crack amounted to slightly less than a quarter of those interviewed but they were responsible for more than 60 per cent of the illegal income reported.

No reference is made to the use of alcohol by those dependent on illicit drugs, despite the fact that the use of these substances is often closely related. Professionals in the field of rehabilitation report that they have seldom, if ever, come across someone dependent on heroin, for example, who was capable of social drinking. The misuse of alcohol often antedates dependence on illicit drugs.

Sizing the UK Drugs Market is a report which seeks to provide government and policy makers with accurate information on the actual and potential market of illicit drugs. A Home Office spokesman says that "the Government Drug Strategy includes a commitment to reduce availability of drugs."

According to the report, the UK drug market in 1998 was estimated to be £6,614 million.