Drugs and Alcohol
Recent British Crime Survey findings: Drugs
The British Crime Survey (BCS) is a large national survey of adults living in a representative cross-section of private households in England and Wales. In addition to questions regarding crime experiences, the BCS asks about a number of other crime-related topics. Since 1996, the BCS has included a comparable module up on drug misuse. The Research Development and Statistics Directorate (RDS) has published 3 reports analysing the content of these findings:
Prevalence of drug use: key findings from the 2002/2003 British Crime Survey
Ethnicity and drug use: key findings from the 2001/2002 British Crime Survey.
Geographical variations in drug use
Title: Geographical variations in drug use
Author: Research
Development and Statistics Directorate (RDS)
Series: Home Office
Statistical Bulletin 15/03
Number of pages: 75
Date Published: December 2003
This report looks at geographical variations in drug use for 16-59 year olds in England and Wales. Examining the prevalence and trends of the most commonly used drugs, findings incorporate:
ACORN areas ('A Classification of Residential Neighbourhood', a system using census and other data to classify postcodes into neighbourhood categories. )
inner city, rural and urban areas.
From this evidence there seems to be a corresponding relationship between drug use levels and particular geographical areas. Many geographical variables are correlated, with the ACORN indicator being the strongest predictor for use of Class A and any other illicit drug.
Key findings
A comparison of Government Office Regions indicates London with the highest national levels of Class A and illicit drug usage. The East Midlands and Wales have the lowest levels of drug usage.
Comparing 1996 and 2001/02 BCS estimates, the North East saw a decrease in the use of any illicit drug, and the North West and West Midlands saw an increase in the use of any illicit drug. The North West, London and the South East all saw increases in use of Class A drugs.
'Affluent urban' areas had higher levels of Class A and illicit drug use than the national average.
There is a strong relationship between levels of drug use and environment, with illicit drug highest in inner city areas and lowest in rural areas.
Areas classified as high disorder tend to have higher levels of drug use than areas classified as low disorder.
Population size in Police Force Areas is strongly related to the number of drug users in the area, with more populated areas having a greater number of drug users.
Summary
A number of patterns have emerged when examining geographical variable and drug level relationship. 'Affluent urban' areas tend to have levels of cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy use higher than the national figure. Consequently use of Class A drugs and any illicit drug are also higher than the figure for England and Wales.
Affluent suburbs and rural' and 'affluent family' areas consistently showed lower levels of drug use when compared with the figure for England and Wales, with significantly lower levels of amphetamine, cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy and heroin use. In comparison, there is a strong relationship between inner city and drug prevalence, in each of the 4 most recent sweeps of the BCS. The BCS shows that the regions where drug use is most prevalent are in:
London
the South West
the North West
the South East.
Download: Geographical variations in drug use
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Prevalence of drug use: key findings from the 2002/2003 British Crime Survey
Title: Prevalence of drug use: key findings from the 2002/2003 British Crime Survey
Author: Research
Development and Statistics Directorate (RDS)
Series: Findings 229
Number of pages: 6
Date Published: December 2003
This report examines the prevalence and trends of illicit drug use among 16-59 year olds, with particular focus upon estimates for 16-24 year olds.
Key findings
Of all 16-59 year olds, 12% had taken an illicit drug and 3% had used a Class A drug in the last year
Cannabis is the most frequently used drug - 3 million 16-59 year olds have used it in the last year (11%)
People aged between 16 and 24 years are more likely than older people to have used drugs in the last year
Levels of drug use among 20-24 year olds are higher than among 16-19 year olds
The majority of people using drugs in the last year had only used one type of drug.
Trends in drug use among 16-59 year olds
This study underlines the strong relationship between drug use and age highlighted in past research, with drug use peaking among younger people in their early to mid-20s. However, while age may be one of the strongest factors associated with drug use, other factors such as gender, ethnic origin and geographical location also need to be taken into account.
Download: Prevalence of drug use: key findings from the 2002/2003 British Crime Survey
PDF 66kb
Ethnicity and drug use: key findings from the 2001/2002 British Crime Survey
Title: Ethnicity and drug use: key findings from the 2001/2002 British Crime Survey
Author: Research
Development and Statistics Directorate (RDS)
Series: Findings 209
Number of pages: 6
Date Published: December 2003
This report examines the prevalence of illicit drug use across different ethnic groups and cultural background. It includes estimates for lifetime, last year and last month consumption and examines differences by age and gender subgroups. This analysis has been conducted to inform policy makers and practitioners when considering the provision of drug prevention activities and drug treatment services across different parts of the community.
Key points
Of 16-59 year olds from a mixed background, 26% had taken an illicit drug in the last year. This was statistically higher than the estimate for any other group; white (12%), black (12%), Chinese/other (8%) and Asian (5%).
Amongst 16-24-year-olds, levels of drug use were lower for black people than for those from a white or mixed background. Around a tenth of people from a white or a mixed background had used a Class A drug in the last year (10% and 8% respectively), compared with 2% of black people. A similar pattern was evident for the 25-35 year old group.
Of 16-59 year olds from a mixed background, 7% had taken a Class A drug in the last year. Again, this was statistically higher than the estimate for any other group; white (3%), black (2%), Chinese/other (1%) and Asian (1%).
The Drug Strategy
The Government's Drug Strategy has the over-arching aim of reducing the harm that drugs cause to society, including communities, individuals and their families. Specific objectives include increasing the:
number of minority ethnic users entering and retained in drug treatment
number of minority ethnic young people receiving drug prevention education and treatment
The estimates given here show the prevalence of drug use among people from different backgrounds. These estimates can in turn be used to help establish whether certain communities may be under-represented in treatment or drug prevention activities, and consequently inform the allocation of service provisions.
Further analysis is required to explore this issue, as well as that of social exclusion. However, once 2 or more similar survey years are available, data could be combined to allow further investigation.
Download: Ethnicity and drug use: key findings from the 2001/2002 British Crime Survey
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Date modified: 08 December 2003
Review date: December 2004
Originator: Crime Reduction Centre Information Team
Last update: 14 January 2005