Long, Jean
(2008)
Drug use among the general population in regional drugs task force areas.
Drugnet Ireland,
Issue 26, Summer 2008,
pp. 5-7.
On 25 June Minister John Curran launched a new bulletin outlining drug prevalence data by regional drugs task force (RDTF) area based on findings from the 2006/2007 national drug prevalence survey.1 Drug prevalence surveys of the general population are important in that they can shed light on the patterns of drug use, both demographically and geographically and, when repeated, can track changes over time. The Irish survey followed best practice guidelines recommended by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).
As expected, the use of illegal drugs was lowest in the north west and highest in the east of the country (Table 1).
Lifetime use
· Cannabis was the most commonly reported illegal drug in each of the RDTF areas, with proportions ranging between 13% in the North West and 36% in the East Coast areas (Table 2 and Figure 1).
· Ecstasy was among the four most commonly reported drugs in each of the RDTF areas, with proportions ranging between 2% in the North West and 11% in North Dublin. (Table 3).
· Cocaine was among the top four drugs ever used by the survey respondents in all areas except the North West RDTF (Table 4). Lifetime cocaine use was highest in the North Dublin and East Coast RDTF areas.
· Poppers were among the four most commonly used drugs in the north west of the country while amphetamines were among the more commonly used drugs in the south east.
Though the proportions were small, there were significant increases in lifetime use of cocaine in five task force areas in 2006/7 when compared to 2002/3 (Table 4).
[For map of Ireland with lifetime prevalence among the general population of the four most commonly used illegal drugs in Ireland by regional drugs task force areas see PDF]
1. National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Drug and Alcohol Information and Research Unit (2008) Drug use in Ireland and Northern Ireland: results from the 2006/2007 drug prevalence survey by regional drugs taskforce area. Bulletin 2. Dublin: National Advisory Committee on Drugs.
2. National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Drug and Alcohol Information and Research Unit (2005) Drug use in Ireland and Northern Ireland: first results (revised) from the 2002/2003 drug prevalence survey. Dublin: National Advisory Committee on Drugs
Publication Type
Irish-related, Open Access, Article
Issue Title
Issue 26, Summer 2008
Publisher
Health Research Board
Volume
Issue 26, Summer 2008
Accession Number
HRB (Available)
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