Drugs - What’s the Craic?
The Department of Health wants to hear what young people and children think about the work it does.
They want to know if their attempts to reduce illegal drug use have worked. They've talked to the experts, but this is your chance to tell them what you think.
Have they reduced drug problems?
Here are some key facts:
- Drug use in Northern Ireland is similar to that in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland - ‘though people here are less likely to use very dangerous drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine'
- In the 1990s there was concern about the increasing use of Ecstasy, LSD and speed among young people but this seems to have slowed down in the last ten years
- Cannabis use is still a concern and the use of cocaine appears to be increasing.
- There are problems around the use of “over the counter” drugs that can be easily bought in chemists or shops and drugs that are got on prescription –mostly among older people.
- 20% of adults here have used tranquillisers or sedatives at some time in their lives – compared to 10.5% in the Republic of Ireland.
- Using illegal drugs at some point in your lifetime has increased from 20% to 28% in recent years.
- Among young people aged 11-16 a survey shows that the use of drugs or solvents has gone down from 23% to 18.9% in recent years
You can find out more through the Participation Network’s website and read and comment on a new 5 year plan to deal with drugs and alcohol.
We would love to hear your comments here too. Are you worried about drugs? Do you think drugs are a problem in your community? Are legal drugs sometimes a problem too?
Let us know.
