Overview

In the seven-year period, 65,216 cases treated for problem drug use were reported to the NDTRS. The number of treated cases recorded increased from 8,005 in 2012 to 10,274 in 2018.

• The proportion of new cases decreased from 40.9% in 2012 to 36.5% in 2017, then increased to 38.6% in 2018.
• In 2018, the majority of cases were treated in outpatient facilities (65.4%), as in previous years.

Main problem drug (excluding alcohol)

• Opioids (mainly heroin) were the most commonly reported main problem drug. The proportion of cases treated decreased from 52.0% in 2012 to 42.3% in 2018.
• Cannabis was the second most common main drug reported. The proportion of cases treated decreased from 28.6% in 2012 to 23.0% in 2018. Cannabis was the most common main drug among new cases in 2018. However, the proportion of new cases reporting cannabis as a main problem decreased from 45.8% in 2012 to 38.0% in 2018.
• Cocaine remains the third most common main drug reported. The proportion of cocaine cases increased from 8.3% in 2012 to 21.9% in 2018. Between 2017 and 2018, the number of cocaine cases increased by 50.3%.

Polydrug use

• Over the period, the majority of cases reported polydrug use (59.5%).
• The proportion of cases with polydrug use decreased from 61.5% in 2012 to 53.4% in 2018.
• Alcohol (37.4%), benzodiazepines (36.2%), cannabis (35.3%), and cocaine (29.5%) were the most commonly reported additional drugs in 2018.

Risk Behaviour

• The proportion of all cases that had ever injected decreased from 36.0% in 2012 to 26.7% in 2018.

Socio-demographic characteristics

• The median age of cases increased from 28 years in 2012 to 31 years in 2018.
• Seven in every ten cases reported over the period were male.
• The proportion of cases recorded as homeless was 5.8% in 2012 and 9.5% in 2018.
• Cases with an Irish Traveller ethnicity increased in proportion from 2.8% in 2012 to 3.3% in 2018.
• A large proportion of cases were unemployed in 2018 (61.9%), as in previous years.
• The proportion of cases in paid employment increased from 7.2% in 2012 to 16.9% in 2018.