Last week, the government launched a new national drug strategy. “Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery” promises a “health-led response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland” from now until 2025.
Part of the strategy’s focus is on younger people, with one of the first objectives being to “prevent use of drugs and alcohol at a young age”. The government says that illegal drug use is rising particularly fast among younger people. But is that correct? We’ve run the numbers.
Claim: Rates of illegal drug use in Ireland have risen the most among younger people over the past decade.
What was said
In the foreword to Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery, and in an accompanying press release, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says that “rates of drug use in Ireland have risen significantly over the past decade, with the greatest increases among younger people”.
The source
The press release offers some supporting details. It says that “the 2014/15 drugs prevalence survey found that one in four Irish adults (26.4%) has tried an illegal drug at least once in their lifetime… trends over the past decade point to an increase in the rate of recent and current drug use, with the greatest increases in amongst younger people aged 15-34”.
Source: CJ McKinney, The Journal.ie, 25/07/17
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