More men using drugs but rates for women falling, survey finds

ACTIVE drug use is increasing among men but is falling among women, a survey has revealed.

The national drugs survey — conducted every four years — also shows usage of pain-killing medicines and prescribed tranquillisers along with anti-depressants is increasing among both sexes.

In addition, cocaine use is still high despite the popular perception consumption of the drug had dropped in the recession.

The findings are contained in the 2010/2011 Drug Prevalence Survey, published yesterday by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD). Of the 5,100 people, aged between 15-64, surveyed:

nRecent use (2010) of any drug by men rose from 9.8% in the 2006/2007 survey to 10.4%, while current use (last month) rose from 4.5% to 5.3%.

nRecent use in women fell from 4.7% to 3.6% and current use dropped from 1.4% to 1.1%

The figures are more stark among young people, with 16% of 25-34 year old men taking a drug in the last year, compared to 4.7% of women.

The survey shows this divergence is even greater regarding use of new psychoactive, or former head shop, drugs, with 14.9% of 15-24 year old men taking the drug recently, compared to 4.5% of women.

Lifetime use of any drug now stands at 27% (up from 24%). Among 25-34 year olds, lifetime use stands at 42% — 52% in men that age.

Dr Des Corrigan, head of the NACD, said the figures “highlight the need for specific targeting of young men in terms of prevention”.

“We need to get across to young men they are not as invincible as they think they are,” praising a recent ad on drug driving by the Road Safety Authority.

The survey shows increases in recent use of sedatives, from 4.7% to 6.5%, and anti-depressants, from 4.4% to 4.8%.

NACD senior researcher Dr Justine Horgan said usage in women was “much more prevalent” in these drugs than illegal drugs.

The survey said the use of “other opiates” jumped from 6.3% to 38.8%, but said this was due to the inclusion of the much wider range of products. This includes medicines and pain killers containing codeine.

Ms Shortall said that the figure was “undeniably high” and “jumped out” of the survey. She said there was a “problem” with the over prescribing of tranquillisers and anti-depressants, a concern echoed by Dr Corrigan.