Cocaine use 'may have peaked'

Cocaine use may have peaked in Ireland, latest figures suggest.

While researchers said it is too early to tell for sure, a turnaround in the trends could point to long-term dwindling demand after the excesses of the Celtic Tiger years.

A report into drug use across Ireland shows declining numbers of young people in the 15-to-24-year-old age group taking the illicit substance, which soared in popularity during the boom.

But alongside this, the findings from the island-wide survey show cocaine is now more prevalent among 25-to-34-year-olds, and its use has also steadied or “stabilised” among this age bracket.

Dr Justine Horgan, senior researcher with the National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD), said the recreational drug used to be more widespread among teenagers and those in their early 20s.

“It appears to be less popular now among 15-to-24-year-olds than it was at the beginning of the survey (in 2002),” she said.

Dr Horgan said the findings may point to a “cohort effect” whereby the age profile of cocaine use in Ireland was getting older, reflecting the people who began using it when they were younger and there was more cash to spend.

But she suggested it could take another four years to draw firm conclusions.

The report, commissioned by the NACD and Northern Ireland’s Public Health Information and Research Branch, shows almost one in ten people throughout the island have tried cocaine at some stage.

Almost 3% of people aged between 15 and 34 admitted using the drug in the last year, with a more detailed breakdown showing it to be more popular with the older half of that age group.

Other key findings included:

:: More than a quarter of the population have admitted taking illegal drugs at some stage, with cannabis the most common substance.

:: A total of 6% of the population used cannabis in the last year.

:: More men than women engage in illegal drug use, with no evidence of the gender gap closing.

Overall, illegal drug use has stabilised, according to the report’s authors, between 2007 and 2011 while usage of some particular drugs, such as Ecstasy, has decreased.

Junior health minister Roisin Shortall said it was “heartening” to see usage steadying but warned about the scale of prescription medication being administered, particularly to younger women.

She also cautioned about the increasing potency of cannabis on the market, cultivated using special techniques in home grown cannabis factories or grow houses.

The study also found little difference in the use of alcohol in Ireland over the past four years, while there was a drop off in tobacco smoking.

The survey, Drugs Use in Ireland and Northern Ireland, was carried out through face-to-face interviews of 7,669 people aged between 15 and 64 in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.