Study reveals the most commonly used illegal drugs in Ireland

Number one is hardly a huge surprise.

Lifetime usage of cannabis is considerably higher than any other illegal drug in Ireland, according to a government report about the prevalence of drug use and gambling in Ireland and drug use in Northern Ireland. The report analysed questionnaires filled out by over 7,000 respondents in Ireland and over 2,500 respondents in Northern Ireland, all of whom were aged 15-64, between August 2014 and August 2015. Amongst the key findings in the report, it was revealed that lifetime usage of cannabis (24%) was considerably higher than any other drug. Ecstasy (7.85%) was the second most commonly used drug, with more users than cocaine (including crack – 6.6%) and cocaine powder (6.4%). Just over one in four Irish adults over the age of 15 (26.4%) had admitted using an illegal drug in their lifetime, with 7.5% having admitted to doing so in the last 12 months and 4% in the last month. The report found that drug use has risen significantly from 27.2% in 2010/11 to 30.7% in 2014/15 in adults aged 15-64, with significant increases in lifetime prevalence evident for cannabis (25.3% to 27.9%), ecstasy (6.9% to 9.2%), and crack (0.6% to 1.1%). In the last year, meanwhile, significant increases in prevalence were evident for cannabis (6.0% to 7.7%), ecstasy (0.5% to 2.1%), poppers (0.2% to 0.6%) and anti-depressants (4.8% to 5.9%) The report can be viewed in full here.