3% of Irish people have used cocaine

Three per cent of Irish people have used cocaine at some stage in their lives, according to a survey published today by the Government's National Advisory Committee on Drugs.

The committee said the survey found that use of cocaine was most prevalent among young people aged between 15 and 34, with men twice as likely as women to take the drug.

It said the average age at which respondents first used the drug was 20 for men and 21 for women.

The committee also said just under 20% of users had admitted to taking cocaine regularly, with addicts becoming dependent on the drug in the space of just one year.