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SCOTTISH CRIME SURVEY 2003
CHAPTER SEVEN: DRUG USE
Although the main purpose of the SCS was to gather information about public perceptions and experiences as victims of crime, respondents were also asked to fill in a short self-completion questionnaire about their knowledge and illicit use of a range of prescribed and illegal drugs. Questions about the illicit use of drugs have been asked in the SCS since 1993. Asking such questions in a self-completion module is considered a more effective way of ensuring the truthfulness of respondents' answers on such a sensitive issue.
The questions covered the following drugs: amphetamines; cannabis; cocaine; crack; ecstasy; heroin; methadone/physeptone; LSD; magic mushrooms; temazepam; valium; glues, gas or aerosols; anabolic steroids and poppers. The main questions included:
- whether they had ever taken the drug
- whether they had taken the drug in the last year
- whether they had taken the drug in the last month.
There are, of course, limitations to self-report data on drug use. Most importantly, it is possible that serious drug users are less likely to have taken part in the SCS, because they are less likely to have been at home. In this way, it is likely that the SCS underestimates drug use. There may also be a stigma attached to taking some drugs, especially 'hard' drugs such as heroin and crack, which again might have resulted in some under-reporting, despite the reassurances of confidentiality.
It is also possible that there is some exaggeration in reported drug use. There is some evidence of this in the 2003 SCS, more so than in previous years. To check for exaggeration, all respondents were asked whether they had ever taken a bogus drug. Previous surveys have found very little over-reporting of this kind, with 4 respondents reporting taking this drug in the 1993 SCS, 11 in 1996 and 18 in 2000. In 2003, however, there was almost a three-fold increase over 2000 with 51 respondents reporting ever using the bogus drug. It is difficult to know why there has been such an increase; there is no obvious demographic bias in these respondents (by age or sex). However, 22 of the bogus drug users also reported having taken every other drug asked about. This suggests than many respondents who reported using the bogus drug were likely to have been exaggerating. For this reason, respondents who reported taking the bogus drug have been excluded from all analyses of drug taking reported in this chapter.
Prevalence of drug use
Over a quarter of 16 to 59 year-old respondents (27%) reported 'ever' taking one of the illicit drugs asked about. 9 However, this included people who had tried drugs only once or twice and also those who might have used illicit drugs on a regular basis in the past, but no longer did. Examining those who said they had used drugs in the last year (9%) and in the last month (5%) it can be seen that illicit drug taking was not a regular occurrence for the majority of respondents (Figure 7.1).
Figure 7.1: Percentage of respondents using illicit drugs ever, in the last year and in the last month
Note:
1. Source: 2003 Scottish Crime Survey,
16-19, unweighted n=172
20-24, unweighted n=262
25-29, unweighted n=309
30-34, unweighted n=450
35-39, unweighted n=438
40-59, unweighted n=1537
Figure 7.1 also illustrates that the peak age of drug use was between 20 and 24 year-olds for last year and last month drug use, with the proportion of both dropping off after the age of 24. As could be expected, the peak age for lifetime use was slightly higher, and was amongst 25 to 29 year-olds.
Drug use amongst men and women
Drug use in the last month was such a rare event that the figures quoted in the remainder of the report will, on the whole, quote drug use in the last year. It is also the measure that has most commonly been reported in previous SCS reports and so the most appropriate measure to compare drug use between surveys. Drug use in the last year, however, includes more infrequent and occasional users than the last month measure. Full details of the extent of ever and last year drug use can be seen in Tables A.7.1, A.7.2 and A.7.3 for both sexes, males and females respectively.
Looking at drug use in the last year for both men and women, it can be seen that men were significantly more likely to take illicit drugs than women. This pattern holds for all age groups (Figure 7.2). The peak age for drug use in the last year was similar for both sexes at between 20 and 24 years old.
Figure 7.2: Percentage of men and women who have taken any illicit drug in the previous year
Note:
1. Source: 2003 Scottish Crime Survey
16-19, unweighted n, men=86, women=86
20-24, unweighted n, men=114, women=148
25-29, unweighted n, men=128, women=181
30-34, unweighted n, men=203, women=247
35-39, unweighted n, men=188, women=250
40-59, unweighted n, men=732, women=805
Types of drug used
Overall, the SCS results for 2003 estimate that in 2003 around 1 million Scottish adults aged 16 to 59 had tried an illicit drug at some point in their life. The number using illicit drugs at the time of interview, however, was far less, and much of both current and historical drug use was limited to the use of cannabis (Figure 7.3).
Figure 7.3: Percentage of respondents using specific drugs 'ever' and 'in the last year'
Note:
1. Source: 2003 Scottish Crime Survey, unweighted n=3,168
The rates of drug use in the last year for individual types of drug were very low amongst all respondents, with the exception of cannabis. Cannabis was by far the most common drug, being taken by almost one in four (24%) of the adult population at some point in their lives, and being taken by 8 per cent of the population in the year before they were interviewed (Figure 7.3). As might be expected, rates of cannabis use were highest amongst young men (Appendix Table A.7.2).
For most other types of drugs, rates of use were low. One in ten (11%) reported ever having taken amphetamines, but the proportion of those who reported taking it in the last year (1%) was very low. Seven per cent of respondents reported ever having taken ecstasy, but again this dropped to just 2 per cent of respondents who reported taking it in the previous year. Six per cent of respondents reported ever having taken cocaine, but again this dropped to just 1 per cent of the sample who reported using it in the previous year. Two per cent of respondents reported ever taking heroin, and this dropped to just 0.3 per cent who reported having taken it in the previous year.
In order to get a sense of problematic drug use (opiates and benzodiazepines only) Hay et al. (2001) used a "capture - recapture" methodology to estimate the numbers of problem opiate and benzodiazepine users in Scotland in 2000. This study also estimates the prevalence of drug injecting. A follow-up report estimating the numbers in 2003 is due to be published in 2005.
Trends over time
Although there was a significant increase in the proportion of respondents indicating they had ever taken an illicit drug between the 2003 SCS and all previous sweeps of the survey, the pattern of those reporting using drugs in the previous year is more varied. Drug use in the last year was significantly higher as measured by the 2003 SCS than in the 2000 and the 1993 SCS. However, it does not differ significantly from the 1996 findings. These fluctuating figures do not suggest a stable pattern in the proportion taking drugs in Scotland over time (Figure 7.4).
Figure 7.4: Percentage of respondents reporting drug use 'ever' and 'in the last year', 1993-2003
Note:
1. Source: 2003 Scottish Crime Survey, unweighted n=3,168
2000 Scottish Crime Survey, unweighted n=2,886
1996 Scottish Crime Survey, unweighted n=2,997
1993 Scottish Crime Survey, unweighted n=3,196
The trends over time can be explored by looking more carefully at trends in drug use amongst individual age groups. Figure 7.5 illustrates that the decrease in drug use which can be seen in reports of the 2000 SCS, is primarily due to a decrease in drug use amongst 20 to 24 year-olds. Amongst all other age groups, there has been little significant change over time, only an increase in drug use amongst 25 to 29 year-olds between 1992 and 2002, and an increase amongst the 30 to 59 age group between 2000 and 2003 (an increase of 1 percentage point, from 3% to 4%).
Figure 7.5: Use of drugs in the last year by age, 1993 - 2003
Note:
1. Source: 2003 Scottish Crime Survey, unweighted n=3,168
2000 Scottish Crime Survey, unweighted n=2,886
1996 Scottish Crime Survey, unweighted n=2,997
1993 Scottish Crime Survey, unweighted n=3,196
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