Prevalence of drug use: key findings from the 2001/2002 British Crime Survey.

Abstract

The British Crime Survey (BCS) is a large national survey of adults who live in a representative cross-section of private households in England and Wales.In addition to asking respondents about their experiences of crime, the BCS also asks about a number of other crime-related topics.Since 1994, the BCS has included a comparable module of questions on drug misuse.This Findings examines the prevalence and trends of illicit drug misuse among 16-to 59year-olds, with particular focus on estimates for 16-to 24-year-olds.Additionally, estimates are given for two new sets of questions that were introduced in the 2001/2002 survey, concerning the age when drug-use started and how easy it was to get access to drugs.The views expressed in these findings are those of the authors, not necessarily those of the Home Office (nor do they reflect Government policy) Key points Of all 16-to 59-year-olds, 12% had taken an illicit drug and 3% had used a Class A drug in the last year.This equates to around four million users of any illicit drug and around one million users of Class A drugs. Cannabis is the most frequently used drug, with around three million 16-to 59-year-olds having used it in the last year (11%).