Prevalence – drugs

NPIS reports significant increase in nitrous oxide-related activities
The latest annual report from the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) shows a marked increase in activity related to nitrous oxide and ketamine | UKHSA, UK

UNODC World Drug Report 2023 warns of converging crises as illicit drug markets continue to expand (2023)
Vienna, 26 June 2023: Continued record illicit drug supply and increasingly agile trafficking networks are compounding intersecting global crises and challenging health services and law enforcement responses, according to the World Drug Report 2023 launched by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today. New data put the global estimate of people who inject drugs in 2021 at 13.2 million, 18 per cent higher than previously estimated. Globally, over 296 million people used drugs in 2021, an increase of 23 per cent over the previous decade. The number of people who suffer from drug use disorders, meanwhile, has skyrocketed to 39.5 million, a 45 per cent increase over 10 years | UNODC, Austria

European Drug Report 2023: Trends and Developments (2023)
The European Drug Report 2023: Trends and Developments presents the EMCDDA’s latest analysis of the drug situation in Europe. Focusing on illicit drug use, related harms and drug supply, the report contains a comprehensive set of national data across these themes and key harm-reduction interventions | EMCDDA, Portugal

Drug misuse in England and Wales: year ending June 2022. An overview of the extent and trends of illicit drug use. Data are from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (2022)
Approximately 1 in 11 adults aged 16 to 59 years (9.2%; approximately 3 million adults) and approximately 1 in 5 adults aged 16 to 24 years (18.6%; approximately 1.1 million adults) reported last year drug use in the year ending June 2022; there was no change compared with the year ending March 2020 | ONS, UK

Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England, 2021 (2022)
This report contains results from the latest survey of secondary school pupils in England in years 7 to 11 (mostly aged 11 to 15), focusing on smoking, drinking and drug use. It covers a range of topics including prevalence, habits, attitudes, and wellbeing | NHS Digital, UK

UNODC World Drug Report 2022 highlights trends on cannabis post-legalization, environmental impacts of illicit drugs, and drug use among women and youth (2022)
Cannabis legalization in parts of the world appears to have accelerated daily use and related health impacts, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)’s World Drug Report 2022. Released today, the report also details record rises in the manufacturing of cocaine, the expansion of synthetic drugs to new markets, and continued gaps in the availability of drug treatments, especially for women | UNODC, Austria

European Drug Report 2022: Trends and Developments (2022)
The Trends and Developments report presents the EMCDDA’s latest analysis of the drug situation in Europe. Focusing on illicit drug use, related harms and drug supply, the report contains a comprehensive set of national data across these themes and key harm-reduction interventions | EMCDDA, Portugal

UNODC World Drug Report 2021
Around 275 million people used drugs worldwide in the last year, while over 36 million people suffered from drug use disorders, according to the 2021 World Drug Report. The Report further noted that in the last 24 years cannabis potency had increased by as much as four times in parts of the world, even as the percentage of adolescents who perceived the drug as harmful fell by as much as 40 per cent, despite evidence that cannabis use is associated with a variety of health and other harms, especially among regular long-term users | UNODC, Austria

European Drug Report 2021
Latest report on the drug situation in the European Union – Looks at:
COVID-19 – How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected drug use and supply?;
Drug use and harms – What drugs are causing the most concern today?
Drug production – What are the latest trends in drug production and trafficking? | EMCDDA, Portugal

New benzodiazepines in Europe – a review (2021)
This report provides a technical review of the current body of knowledge regarding new benzodiazepines that are monitored by the EU Early Warning System. The aims of this report are to strengthen situational awareness of new benzodiazepines in Europe, and to help stakeholders prepare for and respond to public health and social threats caused by such substances | EMCDDA, Portugal

Drugs in the Time of COVID: Interim Report, (2021)
Since the beginning of the first national coronavirus lockdown, Release has operated a public, online survey designed to monitor how people are buying their drugs. This interim report presents findings from the first 2,621 responses, received between the survey’s launch on the 9th April 2020 and the 17th September 2020 (inclusive); which captures drug purchases made in anticipation of and during the first national lockdown, as well as purchases made during the easing, and eventual lifting, of that first lockdown | Release, UK

New ESPAD results: teenage drinking and smoking down, but concerns over risky cannabis use and new addictive behaviours (2021)
The study, published in collaboration with the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA), is based on a 2019 survey in 35 European countries, including 25 EU Member States | ESPAD, Portugal

Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy (MESAS) (2021)
The problems caused by alcohol in Scotland remain at a high level and in recent years associated harms have started to rise. This report provides recommendations of what more needs to be done to ensure improvements continue. This includes evidence in support of the introduction of minimum unit pricing and continued monitoring of key alcohol statistics. Briefing paper here (PDF) | Public Health Scotland, UK

Global Drug Survey 2020 – Key findings (2021)
Data from over 110,000 people from > 25 countries were used in the preparation of this report. 66% were male, 52% were aged under 25 years with 22% of the sample aged 35 years or older. 87% of the sample was white. 38% had at least an undergraduate degree as their highest level of educational  attainment. 54% reported going clubbing 4 or more times per year | GDS, UK 

Statistics on Drug Misuse, England 2020 (2021)
This report presents newly published information on hospital admissions attributable to drug-related mental health and behavioural disorders and on hospital admissions attributable to poisoning by illicit drugs | NHS Digital, UK

Drug misuse in England and Wales: year ending March 2020 (2020)
There was no change in the overall level of any drug use in the last year across England and Wales for the year ending March 2020 compared with the previous year. Findings from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) showed that around 1 in 11 adults aged 16 to 59 years had taken a drug in the last year (9.4%; 3.2 million individuals). The proportion of adults aged 16 to 24 years who reported any drug use in the last year, however, was higher (21%; 1.3 million individuals) | ONS, UK

ESPAD Report 2019 (2020)
The report is based on the findings of a 2019 survey of 15- to 16- year-old students in 35 European countries and provides a unique insight into substance use and other forms of risk behaviour. It includes comparable data on illicit drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, e-cigarettes and social media as well as gaming and gambling | ESPAD and EMCDDA, Portugal

Monitoring the Future: 2019 –  Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use (2020)
Vaping marijuana and vaping nicotine have increased dramatically among 19- 22 year olds, with both more than doubling between 2017 and 2019, according to the University of Michigan’s annual U.S. national Monitoring the Future (MTF) Panel Study [Press release here (PDF)] . In addition, use of marijuana in any form in 2019 among young adults ages 19-22 was at or near the highest levels seen over the past four decades | University of Michigan, USA

GDS: the world’s largest drug survey (2020)
The GDS Special Edition on COVID-19 was developed as part of a global effort to better understand the impact of the pandemic on people’s lives with a specific focus on the use of alcohol and other drugs, mental health and relationships. Over 55,000 people took part. The survey ran for 7 weeks in (May – June 2020) See the GDS COVID-19 Special Edition: Key Findings Report| GDS, UK

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health: 2019 (PDF) (2020)
NSDUH is a comprehensive household interview survey of substance use, substance use disorders, mental health, and the receipt of treatment services for these disorders in the United States. Approximately 67,500 persons are interviewed annually | SAMHSA, USA

United Kingdom drug situation: Focal Point annual report (2020)
Annual report and data tables from the UK Focal Point on Drugs on the national prevalence, impact, prevention and treatment of drug use | Public Health England, Home Office, Welsh Government, The Scottish Government, Public Health Wales, and Department of Health (Northern Ireland), UK

World Drug Report 2020
Presented in six separate booklets, the World Drug Report 2020 provides a wealth of information and analysis to support the international community in implementing operational recommendations on a number of commitments made by Member States, including the recommendations contained in the outcome document of the special session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem, held in 2016 | UNODC, Austria

Global Drug Survey – Covid 19 special (PDF) (2020)
The Global Drug Survey (GDS) Special Edition on Covid-19 was developed as part of a global effort to better understand the impact of the pandemic on people’s lives with a specific focus on the use of alcohol and other drugs, mental health and relationships. In this report we highlight the most noteworthy preliminary findings halfway through data collection. A complete report based on all data collected until June 20, 2020 follows in July | GDS, UK

EU Drug Markets — Impact of COVID-19 (2020)
What effect is COVID-19 having on the drug market in the EU? This joint publication from the EMCDDA and Europol analyses the impact of the pandemic on the market for the main drug types (cannabis, heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, NPS), including demand, production, trafficking and availability. It reports higher prices, local shortages and reduced purity for some drugs, while noting continued violence among suppliers and distributors. It also shows how organised crime groups remain active and resilient, by adapting transportation models, trafficking routes and concealment methods, even during the pandemic | EMCDDA and Europol, Portugal

Statistics on Drug Misuse, England, 2019
7,376 hospital admissions for drug related mental and behavioural disorders. 9.4% adults (16 to 59) had taken an illicit drug in the last year. 20.3% of young adults (16-24) had taken an illicit drug in the last year. 2,917 deaths related to poisoning by drug misuse  | NHS Digital, UK

EU Drug Markets Report 2019
The EU Drug Markets Report 2019 is the third comprehensive overview of illicit drug markets in the European Union by the EMCDDA and Europol. The analysis presented in this report spans numerous topics such as the links between drugs and other crimes, the licit economy and society more generally as well as the processes and players involved in the trade, from production and trafficking to distribution | EMCDDA, Portugal

Drug misuse: findings from the 2018 to 2019 CSEW
Examines the extent and trends in illicit drug use among a sample of 16 to 59 year old residents in households in England and Wales | Home Office, UK

Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England 2018, (2019)
This report contains results from a biennial survey of secondary school pupils in England in years 7 to 11 (mostly aged 11 to 15), focusing on smoking, drinking and drug use. It covers a range of topics including prevalence, habits, attitudes, and for the first time in 2018, wellbeing | NHS Digital, UK

New research explores the use of New Psychoactive Substances by young people, 2019
New research into New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) – formerly referred to as ‘legal highs’ – provides new evidence about why young people were attracted to the drugs, and the health and social risks associated with taking them | NIHR, UK

Prescribed medicines review: report, 2019
Report of the review of the evidence for dependence on, and withdrawal from, prescribed medicines | PHE, UK

The World Drug Report 2019
Globally, some 35 million people are estimated to suffer from drug use disorders and who require treatment services. The Report also estimates the number of opioid users at 53 million, up 56 per cent from previous estimates, and that opioids are responsible for two thirds of the 585,000 people who died as a result of drug use in 2017. Globally, 11 million people injected drugs in 2017, of whom 1.4 million live with HIV and 5.6 million with hepatitis C | UNODC, Switzerland

Drugs in syringes from six European cities: results from the ESCAPE project 2017, 2019
This report presents the results of an innovative method for gathering information on the substances used by people who inject drugs. In this pilot study, chemical analysis of the contents of used syringes collected from exchange sites reveals the drugs and drug combinations injected in the six participating European cities. This approach can provide local and timely information that can be used for city-level monitoring and interventions | EMCDDA, Portugal

Global Drug Survey 2019 (PDF)
Key findings from this year’s report into global drug trends | GDS, UK

Crack cocaine increase: inquiry findings, 2019
Report on the findings of a Public Health England and Home Office investigation into the increase in crack cocaine use in England | PHE, UK

Opiate and crack cocaine use: prevalence estimates by local area, 2019
Estimates of the number of opiate and crack cocaine users in local areas | PHE, UK

Latest wastewater data reveal drug-taking habits in over 70 European cities and an increase in the detection of stimulants, 2019
The latest findings from the largest European project in the emerging science of wastewater analysis are presented today by the Europe-wide SCORE group, in association with the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) | EMCDDA, Portugal

Estimating the Prevalence of Problem Drug Use in Scotland, 2015-16 Estimates, 2019 (PDF)
The number of individuals with problem drug use in Scotland was estimated to be in the range 55,800 to 58,900 during 2015/16. This represents an estimated prevalence rate of approximately 1.62% | ISD Scotland, UK

Seizures of drugs in England and Wales, financial year ending 2018
Contains figures for seizures of drugs made by local police forces and the UK Border Force | Home Office, UK

Drug misuse: findings from the 2017 to 2018 CSEW, 2018
Examines the extent and trends in illicit drug use among a sample of 16 to 59 year old residents in households in England and Wales | Home Office, UK

European Drug Report 2018
What are the latest drug market trends and what are the factors driving them? What drugs are causing the most concern today? What are the most recent developments in drug prevention, treatment and policy? These, and other, questions are explored by the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) in its annual overview of the European drug situation | EMCDDA, Portugal

Taking the Hit: Student drug use and how Institutions respond (PDF), 2018
The findings in this report paint a complex picture of student drug use, one that has both positive and negative impacts on students’ lives. In doing so, it contrasts with some university, college and students’ union drug policies, which see student drug use wholly as a problem to be eradicated through suspensions, evictions and surveillance | NUS, Release UK

United Kingdom drug situation: Focal Point annual report, 2018
Annual report and data tables from the UK Focal Point on Drugs on the national prevalence, impact, prevention and treatment of drug use | PHE, UK

Half of heroin/morphine misuse death hotspots in England and Wales are seaside location, 2018
Some of England and Wales’s favourite seaside resort areas are now among the towns with the highest rates of deaths from the misuse of heroin/morphine | NICE, UK

Statistics on Drug Misuse: England, 2018
This statistical report presents a range of information on drug use by adults and children drawn together from a variety of sources. It focuses on England only where possible although some statistics are only readily available at GB or UK level or for England and Wales combined. Some of this is new information whilst some has been published previously | NHS Digital, UK

Monitoring the Future 2017 (USA)
Since 1975 the MTF survey has measured drug, alcohol, and cigarette use and related attitudes among adolescent students nationwide. Survey participants report their drug use behaviors across three time periods: lifetime, past year, and past month. Overall, 43,703 students from 360 public and private schools participated in this year’s Monitoring the Future survey. The survey is funded by the NIDA, a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and conducted by the University of Michigan | NIDA, USA

Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England – 2016
This report contains results from an annual survey of secondary school pupils in England in years 7 to 11 (mostly aged 11 to 15). 12,051 pupils in 177 schools completed questionnaires in the autumn term of 2016 | NHS Digital, UK

Drug misuse: findings from the 2016 to 2017 CSEW
Examines the extent and trends in illicit drug use among a sample of 16 to 59 year old residents in households in England and Wales | Home Office, UK

Statistics on Drugs Misuse: England, 2017
This statistical report presents a range of information on drug use by adults and children drawn together from a variety of sources. It focuses on England only where possible although some statistics are only readily available at GB or UK level or for England and Wales combined | NHS Digital, UK

Highways and Buyways: a snapshot of UK drug scenes 2016, (PDF), 2017
A new survey of the street drug market in the UK by DrugWise the online drug information service, has concluded that the primary aims of the PSA which came into force in May 2016 have been achieved. Firstly to close down retail outlets for so-called ‘legal highs’ and second to stop the legal cat and mouse game whereby a drug would be banned only for the chemists to render the drug legal once more by slightly changing the formula. However, of the new drugs, synthetic cannabinoids collectively known as spice in particular, have become street drugs alongside heroin and crack causing continuing problems for vulnerable groups including the rough sleeping and homeless communities and those in prison | DrugWise, UK

Understanding the patterns of use, motives, and harms of New Psychoactive Substances in Scotland (PDF), 2016
This report presents the results of mixed methods research on New Psychoactive Substance use among vulnerable young people, people in contact with mental health services, people affected by homelessness, people who inject drugs and men who have sex with men | Scottish Government, UK

2015 ESPAD Report: Results from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs, 2016
This report presents the results of the sixth data-collection wave of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) and marks the 20th anniversary of ESPAD data collection (1995-2015). It is based on information provided by 96 043 students from 35 European countries, 24 of them being Member States of the European Union. About 600 000 students have participated in the successive ESPAD data-collection waves, making the project the most extensive, harmonised data collection on substance use in Europe | ESPAD / EMCDDA, Portugal

Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (PDF), 2016
This national report summarizes key findings from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) for indicators of substance use and mental health among people aged 12 years old or older in the civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the United States | SAMSHA, USA

Drug Misuse: Findings from the 2015/16 Crime Survey for England and Wales
Examines the extent and trends in illicit drug use among a sample of 16 to 59 year old residents in households in England and Wales | Home Office, UK

Statistics on Drugs Misuse: England, 2016
This annual statistical report presents information on drug misuse among both adults and children. The topics covered include: Prevalence of drug misuse, including the types of drugs used; Trends in drug misuse over recent years; Patterns of drug misuse among different groups of the population; Health outcomes related to drug misuse including hospital admissions, drug treatment and number of deaths | HSCIC, UK

UNODC World Drug Report 2016
Around five per cent of the adult population, or nearly 250 million people between the ages of 15 and 64, used at least one drug in 2014, according to the latest World Drug Report released today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) | UNODC, USA

Monitoring the future: National survey on drug use 1975 – 2015 (PDF)
Monitoring the Future (MTF) is designed to give sustained attention to substance use among the nation’s youth and adults. It is an investigator-initiated study that originated with and is conducted by a team of research professors at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. The 2015 survey, reported here, is the 41st consecutive survey of 12th-grade students and the 25th such survey of 8th and 10th graders | University of Michigan, USA

The Global Drug Survey results 2016 (PDF)
The world’s largest survey into drug and alcohol use | GDS, UK

European Drug Report 2016: Trends and Developments, 2016
What are the latest trends in drug supply to Europe? What drugs are causing the most harm and concern today? What are the most recent developments in drug prevention, treatment and policy? These and other questions are explored by the EMCDDA in its European Drug Report 2016 | EMCDDA, Portugal

Assessing illicit drugs in wastewater: advances in wastewater-based drug epidemiology, 2016
Assessing illicit drugs in wastewater: advances in wastewater-based drug epidemiology reviews a new approach to estimating drug use in populations, based on the detection and quantification of drugs and their metabolic products in community wastewater | EMCDDA, Portugal

Growing up unequal: gender and socioeconomic differences in young people’s health and well-being, 2016 (PDF)
Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC), a WHO collaborative cross-national study, has provided information about the health, well-being, social environment and health behaviour of 11-, 13- and 15-year-old boys and girls for over 30 years. This latest international report from the study presents findings from the 2013/2014 survey, which collected data from almost 220 000 young people in 42 countries in Europe and North America | WHO, Switzerland

INCB Annual report 2015, 2016
Based on its activities, INCB publishes an annual report that is submitted to ECOSOC through the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the drug control situation in various parts of the world. As an impartial body, INCB tries to identify and predict dangerous trends and suggests necessary measures to be taken. In its Annual Report, the Board makes recommendations to Governments and international organizations for improving the global drug control situation | INCB, Austria

United Kingdom Drug Situation:  2015 Ed. UK Focal Point On Drugs, PHE et al, 2016 (PDF)
Annual Report on new developments and trends in policy, prevalence, treatment and criminal justice issues to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) | PHE, Home Office, Scottish Government, Welsh Government, HSSPS, UK