Speed, cocaine, ecstasy, cannabis and crack have fallen out of favor with a young target group known as Generation Z. However, the dramatic decline in drug use among these young people was only seen among men, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS ).
Ecstasy and nitrous oxide use among 16 to 24 year olds has fallen to new record lows. Official figures released last show how one in six 16-24 year olds used illegal substances in the year ending March 2023. By comparison, in the late XNUMXs, almost a third of Gen party years with drugs such as ecstasy and cocaine.
Drug use among young people
Despite the overall decline, today's young adults are using more ketamine than their previous generations. The report from the Office for National Statistics reflects a raft of data showing that society's youngest cohort is drinking less alcohol and avoiding red meat.
Experts suggested that current pressures on incomes, the disruptive effect of Covid and changes in pricing may also have had an impact on drug use. The most common drugs used by 16-24 year olds in England and Wales:
- Cannabis 15,4%
- Powder cocaine 5,1%
- Nitrous oxide 4,2%
- Ketamine 3,8%
- Hallucinogens 2,8%
- Ecstasy 2,4%
- Mushrooms 1,9%
- LSD 1,5%
- New psychoactive substances 1,4%
- Sedatives 0,9%
The figures show that ecstasy use among 16 to 24 year olds fell to a record low. Only 2,4 percent said the drugs to have used. However, it seems that more and more teenagers are dying from contaminated pills in nightclubs, at parties or on holidays.
The ONS report, based on a survey of more than 31.000 people and collected by the Crime Survey for England and Wales, took place before the government's ban on nitrous oxide (hippie crack). In November the drug was classified as a controlled Class C drug, making possession of nitrous oxide illegal. Cannabis use also fell among teenagers, although it was still the most popular, the ONS figures showed. Cocaine use also decreased slightly (from 5,3 percent in 2020 to 5,1 percent).
Drug trends
However, coke use rates are still three times higher than in the 1,5s. This is attributed to the popularity of the white powder among the middle class and its easy availability. The use of LSD (1,9 percent) and magic mushrooms (3,8 percent) increased slightly. Ketamine also recorded its highest level ever (2020 percent), a fifth more than in XNUMX. Special K, Ket or Kit Kat was popular as a party drug in the late XNUMXs, when it was often taken at late-night raves.
But its popularity declined in the 2000s when it became a Schedule III drug and concerns arose about side effects, including hallucinations and, in rare cases, seizures. Campaigners are calling it a 'campus killer', which has been linked to dozens of student deaths in recent years.
There was also a slight increase in opioid use (0,2 percent) compared to 2020 (0,1 percent). These include medications such as Fentanyl and painkillers that are legally available by prescription. Experts called the overall decline "encouraging" but warned that the figures "could mask worrying new trends in drug use."
Source: dailymail.co.uk (EN)
