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CHAPTER TWO PREVALENCE OF DRUG USE

Introduction

2.1 This chapter examines the extent of drug use among adults aged 16-59 living in private household in Scotland. It provides estimates over 3 different time periods for 16 different drugs. Firstly, respondents were asked about whether they had ever taken specific drugs, which is a measure of lifetime drug use. Secondly, those who had ever taken particular drugs were asked whether they had taken them in the last year; and finally, those who had taken specific drugs in the last year were asked if they had taken them in the last month.

2.2 Lifetime use of drugs can provide interesting contextual information when, for example, examining people's general attitudes to drugs. However, measures of lifetime drug use can include people who have taken a drug once, perhaps a long time ago. As such it is not a particularly useful indicator of current drug use nor is it of much use when looking at recent trends. Asking about drugs taken in the last month does provide the most up to date information on current usage. However, since it is a relatively short time period, it may miss people who use drugs on a regular basis but who have not done so within the last month. Therefore, drug use in the last year is generally regarded as the most stable measure of current drug use, especially when analysing trends over time.

Classification of drugs

2.3 Respondents to the 2006 SCVS were asked about their use of 16 different types of drugs. The Misuse of Drugs Act classifies illegal drugs into 3 categories (Class A, B and C) according to the harm they cause, with Class A drugs considered to be the most harmful. Table 1.1 shows the 16 drugs that respondents were asked about on the SCVS and their classification under the Act.

2.4 Since Class A drugs are regarded as the most harmful it is useful to look at the use of any Class A drugs among respondents. Although amphetamines can be classified as either Class A (when injected) or Class B (in powdered form), for the purposes of analysis the report assumes that all amphetamine use is of the Class B type. This is similar to how the British Crime Survey defines Class A drug use in England and Wales ⁴.

Table 1.1 Drugs asked about on the 2006 SCVS and their classification

Extent of drug use in Scotland

Extent of any illicit drug use

2.5 The 2006 SCVS found that 37 per cent of 16 to 59 year olds had ever taken one or more illicit drugs in their lifetime, 13 per cent had taken one or more drugs in the last year, while 8 per cent had taken one or more drugs in the last month (see Figure 2.1 and Table A1).

2.6 In the 2004 SCVS, 24 per cent of respondents reported having ever taken one or more drugs, 8 per cent reported having taken one or more drugs in the last year, while 4 per cent had taken one or more drugs in the last month. However, as explained earlier, the difference in the estimates between 2004 and 2006 is affected by the change in survey methodology and it is not, therefore, possible to make any assessment about the real change in levels of drug use in Scotland between 2004 and 2006.

2.7 In the 2006 survey, over 6 in 10 (63%) of those who had taken one or more drugs in the last year had also taken one or more drugs in the last month. This suggests that the majority of those who had taken a drug in the last year can be considered to be regular drug users. This is a significantly higher proportion than was recorded in the 2004 survey, when 57 per cent of those who had taken one or more drugs in the last year had also taken one or more drugs in the last month. It seems unlikely that this difference between 2004 and 2006 can be attributed to the change in methodology. While switching from paper to CAPI is likely to increase the proportion of respondents who admit to taking drugs for the reasons already outlined, it is less clear why the change in methodology would also increase the proportion of lifetime drug takers who admit to recent drug use (in the last month).

2.8 The 2006 SCVS estimates for drug use in Scotland were broadly similar to estimates for England and Wales in 2005/6, which uses an identical methodology. Lifetime experience of drugs in 2006 was the same in Scotland compared with England and Wales in 2005/6, while current drug usage (both in the last year and the last month) was higher in Scotland compared with England and Wales. Thus, in England and Wales in 2005/6, 35 per cent of respondents reported ever having taken one or more drugs, 10 per cent reported having taken one or more drugs in the last year, and 6 per cent reported having taken one or more drugs in the last month ⁵.

Figure 2.1 Proportion of people who reported having taken any drugs or any Class A drugs ever, in the last year, and in the last month

Source: 2006 SCVS
Base: All respondents aged 16-59 (n=3,158)

Extent of Class A drug use

2.9 Figure 2.1 also shows that 17 per cent of respondents reported having ever taken one or more Class A drugs, with 5 per cent have taken one or more Class A drugs in the last year, and 3 per cent having taken them in the last month (see Figure 2.1 and Table A1).

2.10 In the 2006 survey, 57 per cent of those who had taken one or more Class A drugs in the last year had also taken one or more Class A drugs in the last month. Again, this suggests that the majority of those who had taken Class A drugs in the last year can be considered to be regular drug users.

2.11 Reported use of Class A drugs was higher on the 2006 SCVS compared with the 2005/6 British Crime Survey for England and Wales. In that survey, 14 per cent of respondents had taken one or more Class A drugs in their lifetime, 3 per cent had done so in the last year, and 2 per cent had done so in the last month.

Extent of using different types of drugs

Lifetime use of different types of drug

2.12 Figure 2.2 shows that cannabis was the most common drug that respondents had ever taken. A third of adults (33%) reported having taken cannabis in their lifetime. In fact, more than twice as many people admitted to having ever taken cannabis compared with the next most commonly cited drug, amphetamines, which was reported by 14 per cent of respondents.

2.13 The other most commonly reported drugs that people had ever taken were ecstasy (10%), poppers (10%), and cocaine (9%). The vast majority of people who had ever used cocaine had used powdered cocaine (8.9%), rather than crack cocaine (1%). Lifetime use of LSD was mentioned by 8 per cent of respondents, while magic mushrooms were mentioned by 7 per cent. Table A1 shows the proportion of respondents who had ever taken each type of drug asked about on the survey (see Figure 2.2 and Table A1).

Figure 2.2 Proportion of people who reported having ever taken specific drugs

Source: 2006 SCVS
Base: All respondents (n=3,158)

Use of different types of drugs in the last year

2.14 Figure 2.3 shows that reported drug use in the last year followed a similar pattern to lifetime drug use in that cannabis was the drug that respondents were most likely to have used in the last year. Just over one in 10 respondents (11%) reported having used cannabis in the last year. The next most commonly cited drugs which respondents had used in the last year were cocaine (4%), ecstasy (3%), and amphetamines (2%). Use of other drugs in the last year was very uncommon, including low levels of opiate use (heroin and methadone), which was reported by 0.5% of respondents (see Figures 2.3 and Table A1).

2.15 Although the actual figures are not directly comparable with the 2004 survey, it is interesting to note that the top 4 most commonly cited drugs taken in the last year were exactly the same in 2004 and 2006, suggesting a consistency in the overall pattern of drug taking between the 2 surveys.

2.16 Since the proportion of drugs taken in the last year is considered the most stable measure of current drug use it is interesting to compare the results from the 2006 SCVS with those in England and Wales. Although the 3 most commonly taken drugs in Scotland were the same as in England and Wales, reported prevalence in Scotland was higher for each individual drug. In 2005/6, 9 per cent of people in England and Wales reported taking cannabis in the last year, while 2.4 per cent reported taking cocaine and 1.6 per cent reported taking ecstasy.

Figure 2.3 Proportion of people who reported having taken specific drugs in the last year

Source: 2006 SCVS
Base: All respondents (n=3,158)

2.17 Tables A2 and A3 show the trends in lifetime drug use and drug use in the last year since the survey began in 1993. The change in methodology for the 2006 survey has led to increases in the proportion of people admitting to taking each of the drugs, which makes interpreting trends difficult. However, in general it can be seen that the reported use of amphetamines has fallen since a peak in 1996, whereas the use of cocaine has risen. This is broadly consistent with patterns in England and Wales where there has been a decrease in amphetamine use between 1998 and 2005/6 and an increase in cocaine over the same period (see Tables A2 and A3).

Use of different types of drugs in the last month

2.18 Since only 8 per cent of respondents reported taking one or more drug in the last month, it is not surprising that levels of drug use in the last month for individual types of drugs were low. In the majority of cases where respondents said they had taken a drug in the last month, the drug was cannabis, which was reported by 7 per cent of respondents. Cocaine had been used by 1.8 per cent of all respondents in the last month, while ecstasy use in the last month was mentioned by 1.6 per cent of respondents.

2.19 All of the other drugs asked about on the survey had been taken by less than 0.5 per cent or by no-one at all in the last month (see Table A1).

Variations in the prevalence of drug use

2.20 This section examines variations in the reported use of drugs by various socio-demographic characteristics. It looks at variation in lifetime use, use in the last year, and use in the last month by sex and age and by economic factors such as employment status and income.

Variations in drug use by sex

2.21 Figure 2.4 shows that men were significantly more likely than women to have taken drugs and also to be current drug users. Thus, 43 per cent of men had ever taken one or more drugs compared with 31 per cent of women. Men were also more likely than women to have taken one or more drugs in the last year (16% and 9% respectively) and in the last month (10% and 6% respectively). A higher level of drug use among men than women is consistent both with the 2004 SCVS and with the 2005/6 BCS in England and Wales (see Figure 2.4 and Table A4).

2.22 Men were also more likely than women to report having taken Class A drugs. Thus, 22 per cent of men said they had ever taken one or more Class A drug compared with 13 per cent of women. Men were more than twice as likely as women to have taken one or more Class A drugs in the last year (7% and 3.5% respectively) and in the last month (4% and 2% respectively) (see Figure 2.5 and Table A4).

Figure 2.4 Proportion of people who reported having taken any drugs ever, in the last year, and in the last month by sex

Source: 2006 SCVS
Bases : All men aged 16-59 (n=1,436); all women aged 16-59 (n=1,722)

Figure 2.5 Proportion of people who reported having taken any Class A drugs ever, in the last year, and in the last month by sex

Source: 2006 SCVS
Bases : All men aged 16-59 (n=1,436); all women aged 16-59 (n=1,722)

2.23 In terms of specific types of drugs men were more likely than women to report having taken most types of drugs. Thus, for example, 14 per cent of men reported having taken cannabis in the last year compared with 8 per cent of women. Similarly, 5 per cent of men reported having taken any sort of cocaine in the last year compared with 2 per cent of women.

Variation in drug use by age

2.24 Figure 2.6 shows that in terms of lifetime use of one or more drug, the highest reported levels were among 20-34 year olds, with 58 per cent of 20-24 year olds, 57 per cent of 25-29 year olds and 55 per cent of 30-34 year olds reporting having ever taken one or more drugs. These relatively high levels of lifetime use of one or more drugs in the middle age groups almost certainly reflects drug use in the past.

2.25 Looking at more current drug use shows a clear association with age, with use of one or more drugs in both the last year and the last month being highest among 16-19 year olds, and declining steadily with age. Thus, for example, over a third of 16-19 year olds (35%) reported having taken one or more drugs in the last year compared with 13 per cent of 30-34 year olds, and only 3 per cent of 40-59 year olds. Similarly, in the last month almost a quarter of 16-19 year olds (24%) reported having taken one or more drugs compared with 8 per cent of 30-34 year olds and 2 per cent of 40-59 year olds (see Figure 2.6 and Tables A5-A7).

Figure 2.6 Proportion of people who reported having taken any drugs ever, in the last year, and in the last month by age

Source: 2006 SCVS
Bases: All aged 16-19 (n=157); 20-24 (n=269); 25-29 (n=331); 30-34 (n=358); 35-39 (n=437); 40-59 (n=1,605)

2.26 Figure 2.7 shows a very similar pattern in variation of Class A drug use by age. The highest levels of lifetime use of one or more Class A drugs was found among 25-34 year olds, with 33 per cent of 30-34 year olds and 31 per cent of 25-29 year olds having ever taken one or more Class A drugs. Lifetime use of one or more Class A drugs was similar among 16-19 year old and 35-39 year olds (21% and 20% respectively).

2.27 Again, however, lifetime usage of Class A drugs in the middle-age groups is mainly a reflection of past drug use. Thus, use of one or more Class A drugs in the last year or the last month was highest among 16-24 year olds, and declined sharply with increasing age. Thus, for example, 15 per cent of 16-19 year olds reported taking one or more Class A drugs in the last year compared with only 4 per cent of 35-39 year olds. A similar pattern was evident for Class A drug use in the last month, with 16-24 year olds being the most likely to have taken Class A drugs in the last month (see Figure 2.7 and Tables A5-A7).

Figure 2.7 Proportion of people who reported having taken any Class A drugs ever, in the last year, and in the last month by age

Source: 2006 SCVS
Bases: All aged 16-19 (n=157); 20-24 (n=269); 25-29 (n=331); 30-34 (n=358); 35-39 (n=437); 40-59 (n=1,605)

Variation in drug use by age and sex

2.28 Looking at drug use by sex and age reveals some interesting differences between men and women in terms of lifetime use of drugs. Figure 2.8 shows that lifetime drug use in men was highest among 20-34 year olds. For example, two-thirds of 20-24 year old men (66%) reported they had ever taken one or more drugs compared with less than half of 16-19 year old men (45%). Amongst women, however, lifetime drug use was broadly the same across the 16-34 year old age group, with 47 per cent of 16-19 year old women having ever tried one or more drugs compared with 50 per cent of 20-24 year old women and 49 per cent of 30-34 year old women.

2.29 Apart from 16-19 year olds, within each age cohort, men were more likely than women to have ever taken one or more drugs. The difference was most pronounced among 35-39 year olds, where 50 per cent of men reported having taken one or more drugs compared to 29 per cent of women. Among 16-19 year olds, 45 per cent of men reported having ever taken one or more drug compared with 47 per cent of women, although this difference was not significant due to the small base sizes (see Figure 2.8 and Tables A8-A13).

Figure 2.8 Proportion of people who reported having ever taken one or more drugs by sex and age

Source: 2006 SCVS
Bases: 16-19 Male (n=78), 16-19 Female (79), 20-24 Male (n=125), 20-24 Female (n=144) 25-29 Male (n=136), 25-29 Female (n=195), 30-34 Male (n=149), 30-34 Female (n=209) 35-39 Male (n=192), 35-39 Female (n=245), 40-59 Male (n=756), 40-59 Female (n=849)

2.30 Drug use within the last year also showed a slight difference between men and women when the figures were broken down by age group. Figure 2.9 shows that the drop off in the levels of recent drug use with age was far sharper among women than men. Thus, more than a third of women aged 16-19 (36%) reported using one or more drugs in the last year compared to a quarter of 20-24 year old women (24%), and only 12 per cent of 25-29 year old women. However, amongst men drug use in the last year was broadly the same across the 16-29 year old age group, with 33 per cent of 16-19 year old men having taken drugs in the last year, which was exactly the same level of drug use reported by 25-29 year old men.

2.31 As with lifetime drug use, reported drug use within the last year was higher for men than women in each age cohort, except for 16-19 year olds, where men and women reported broadly similar levels (33% of 16-19 year old men and 36% of 16-19 year old women) (see Figure 2.9 and Tables A8-A13).

Figure 2.9 Proportion of people who reported having taken one or more drugs in the last year by sex and age

Source: 2006 SCVS
Bases:16-19 Male (n=78), 16-19 Female (79), 20-24 Male (n=125), 20-24 Female (n=144) 25-29 Male (n=136), 25-29 Female (n=195), 30-34 Male (n=149), 30-34 Female (n=209) 35-39 Male (n=192), 35-39 Female (n=245), 40-59 Male (n=756), 40-59 Female (n=849)

2.32 Finally, reported drug use in the last month showed a fairly similar pattern to usage in the last year when broken down by age and sex. Figure 2.10 shows that again drop off in levels of usage were greater for men than women and in all age cohorts, except for 16-19 year olds, drug use in the last month was higher among men than women. One note of interest was that reported drug use in the last month among women aged 35-39 year old women was actually higher than among 30-34 year old women (7% and 2% respectively). This goes against the general pattern of declining usage with age (see Figure 2.10 and Tables A8-A13).

Figure 2.10 Proportion of people who reported having taken one or more drugs in the last month by sex and age

Source 2006 SCVS
Bases: 16-19 Male (n=78), 16-19 Female (79), 20-24 Male (n=125), 20-24 Female (n=144) 25-29 Male (n=136), 25-29 Female (n=195), 30-34 Male (n=149), 30-34 Female (n=209) 35-39 Male (n=192), 35-39 Female (n=245), 40-59 Male (n=756), 40-59 Female (n=849)

Variation in drug use by other factors

2.33 Patterns of drug use are also associated with other socio-economic factors such as household income and working status. This section examines variations in the levels of drug use in the last year by various factors.

2.34 Figure 2.11 shows the levels of reported drug use within the last year by a variety of socio-economic factors. Reported drug use in the last year showed some difference by socio-economic grouping ( NS- SEC), with 9 per cent of respondents in managerial and professional occupations reporting having taken one or more drugs in the last year compared with 13 per cent of those in routine and manual occupations and 19 per cent of those who had never worked. There was also a clear association between employment status and drug use, with those who were unemployed being almost 3 times as likely as those who were in employment to report having taken one or more drugs in the last year (32% and 11% respectively). About a quarter of those in full-time education (24%) reported having taken drugs in the last year.

2.35 Associations were also seen between levels of drug use and income and housing tenure. Those with a household income of less than £10,000 were more likely than those with a household income of £10,000 or more to report taking drugs in the last year (19% and 12% respectively), while those in rented accommodation were more likely than owner-occupiers to report drug use in the last year (22% and 8% respectively).

Figure 2.11 Proportion of people who reported having taken one or more drugs in the last year by various socio-economic factors

Source: 2006 SCVS
Bases: Managerial & professional (n=1,023); Intermediate occupations (n=583); Routine & manual (n=1,264); Never worked (n=72); Owner-occupiers (n=2,075); Renters (n=1,066); Household income less than 10k (n=540); Household income 10K+ (n=2,148); Employed (n=2,337); Unemployed (n=150); Full-time students (n=206)

2.36 Similar associations were found between reported use of one or more Class A drugs in the last year and socio-economic factors. Thus, the highest levels of Class A drug use in the last year were found among those who were unemployed (15%), those who had never worked (12%), full-time students (12%), and those living in rented accommodation (9%) (see Figure 2.12).

2.37 Of course, many of the socio-economic factors mentioned above are closely inter-related. Additionally, age is related to many of the above factors in so far as 16-24 year olds are more likely than older age groups to live in rented accommodation, have lower household incomes, have never worked, and to be full-time students. This means that much of the association between reported drug use in the last year and socio-economic factors is actually likely to be driven by the fact that young people have higher reported levels of drug use as seen in the previous section.

Figure 2.12 Proportion of people who reported having taken one or more Class A drugs in the last year by various socio-economic factors

Source: 2006 SCVS
Bases: Managerial & professional (n=1,023); Intermediate occupations (n=583); Routine & manual (n=1,264); Never worked (n=72); Owner-occupiers (n=2,075); Renters (n=1,066); Household income less than 10k (n=540); Household income 10K+ (n=2,148); Employed (n=2,337); Unemployed (n=150); Full-time students (n=206)

Being offered drugs

2.38 In the 2006 SCVS all respondents were also asked whether anyone had offered to give or sell them drugs in the last year. Respondents were asked this for each of the 16 specific types of drugs. Overall, one in 5 respondents (20%) reported they had been offered at least one drug in the last year, while one in 10 (10%) said they had been offered at least one Class A drug.

2.39 Not surprisingly the differences in the proportion of respondents who had been offered drugs in the last year by sex and age followed a very similar pattern to the proportion who had actually taken drugs in the last year. Thus, men were more likely than women to have been offered at least one drug in the last year (24% and 15% respectively) and were also more likely to have been offered at least one Class A drug (15% and 9% respectively). Overall, exactly half (50%) of all those who were offered drugs in the last year also reported taking drugs in the last year.

2.40 Figure 2.13 shows how the likelihood of being offered drugs in the last year varied by age and sex. Amongst both men and women the proportion being offered any drugs in the last year decreased with age. Amongst men, 20-24 year olds were the most likely to have been offered drugs in the last year (55%), whereas among women it was 16-19 year olds who were the most likely to report having been offered drugs in the last year (47%). In all age groups except for 16-19 year olds, men were more likely than women to have been offered drugs in the last year (see Figure 2.13, Tables A14-A15).

Figure 2.13 Proportion of people who reported having been offered drugs in the last year by sex and age

Source: 2006 SCVS
Bases: 16-19 Male (n=78), 16-19 Female (79), 20-24 Male (n=125), 20-24 Female (n=144) 25-29 Male (n=136), 25-29 Female (n=195), 30-34 Male (n=149), 30-34 Female (n=209) 35-39 Male (n=192), 35-39 Female (n=245), 40-59 Male (n=756), 40-59 Female (n=849), All Males (n=1,436), All Females (n=1,722)

2.41 Figure 2.14 shows the proportion of respondents who were offered specific types of drugs in the last year. Not surprisingly the likelihood of being offered particular types of drugs in the last year was closely associated with actual usage levels. Thus, respondents were more than twice as likely to have been offered cannabis in the last year compared with the next most commonly offered drug cocaine (16% and 9% respectively). Ecstasy had been offered to 8 per cent of respondents in the last year, while 6 per cent had been offered amphetamines. Only extremely small proportions of respondents had been offered other drugs in the last year. As can be seen in Figure 2.14 there was a clear association with the types of drugs that people had been most likely to have been offered in the last year and the proportion of people who had actually taken those drugs in the last year (see Figure 2.14 and Tables A14-A15).

2.42 Tables A14 and A15 provide a full breakdown of the proportion of respondents who reported having been offered each type of drug by age and sex.

Figure 2.14 Proportion of respondents offered specific types of drugs in the last year and proportion who had taken specific types of drugs in the last year

Source: 2006 SCVS
Base: All respondents (n=3,158)

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