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Drug Use in Ireland and Northern Ireland 2006/2007

NCJ Number
224078
Date Published
2008
Length
44 pages
Annotation
Survey results are provided on the prevalence of drug use in Ireland and Northern Ireland from 2006 to 2007.
Abstract
Key findings from across the Regional Drug Task Force (RDTF) area in Ireland and the Health and Social Services Board (HSSB) in Northern Ireland include: (1) lifetime use of any illegal drugs varied across RDTF and HSSB areas ranging from as high as 38 percent in RDTF and 37 percent in HSSB areas to as low as 14 percent in RDTF and 20 percent in HSSB; (2) last year prevalence rates for any illegal drugs showed a four-fold difference between the highest and lowest rate in RDTFs (13 and 3 percent) whereas the difference was smaller in HSSB areas (13 percent and 7 percent); (3) prevalence rates for use of any illegal drugs tended to be higher across all time periods in the East Coast and Southern RDTFs in Ireland and in the Eastern HSSB in Northern Ireland; (4) cannabis was the most commonly used illegal drug in all RDTF and HSSB areas across all time periods; (5) prevalence rates for all other illegal drugs were considerably lower than the rates for cannabis use in all RDTF and HSSB areas; (6) the profile of illegal drug users across both RDTF and HSSB areas were similar: men were more likely than women and young adults more likely than older adults to use illegal drugs; and (7) lifetime use of cannabis increased in 2 RDTF and HSSB areas, whereas lifetime use of cocaine increased in 5 of the 10 RDTG areas and in all 4 HSSB areas. This report presents results relating to drug prevalence on a lifetime, last year (recent), and last month basis for illegal and other drugs including alcohol and tobacco for each RDTF area and HSSB area. Tables