In addition to findings from previous drug prevalence surveys conducted in Ireland, this national report includes data on cannabis use from waves 1–6 of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study (Gavin et al. 2021) and from the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) National Longitudinal Study of Children (ESRI and Trinity College Dublin 2019). Information from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) on alcohol, smoking, cannabis, and other substance use among Irish 15–16-year-olds is also included (Sunday et al. 2020).

In 2022, there were 3,993 cases treated for problem stimulant use, as reported through the TDI,  compared with 3,235 cases reported in 2021. Similar to previous years, the majority of cases were treated for problem cocaine use (97.0%), followed by other stimulants including  methylamphetamine (1.4%), unspecified amphetamine-type stimulants (0.8%), ecstasy (0.4%), and synthetic cathinones (0.4%). The increase in the number of cases reporting problem stimulant use is solely due to the increase in the number of cocaine cases.

Data from the TDI show that in 2022, 33.1% of cases reported were treated for problem opioid use, similar to 2021 (33.7%). This is a continuation of the overall downward trend of the past number of years (for example 36.5% in 2020; 44.9% in 2017). Of those treated for problem opioid use in 2022, heroin comprised the majority of cases (86.6%), similar to previous years.