Drug use remains stable among adults in England, but frequent use declines

Illicit drug use was more prevalent among young people aged 16 to 24  

Around 2.9 million people aged 16 to 59 years (8.8 per cent) reported using illicit drugs in the last 12 months as of March 2024, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW).

This figure shows no statistically significant change compared to previous years, with 9.5 per cent in the year ending March 2023 and 8.8 per cent in the year ending March 2014.

However, the number of frequent drug users (more than once a month) aged 16 to 59 fell to 1.8 per cent (approximately 610,000 people), down from 2.3 per cent the year before.

The CSEW data showed that around 150,000 young people aged 16 to 24 years (2.5 per cent) were frequent drug users in the year ending March 2024, a decrease from 4.7 per cent in the  previous year.

Around three-quarters (73.7 per cent) of people aged 16 to 59 years who used any drug in the last year were infrequent users, with half taking them only "once or twice" in the year. Nearly 80 per cent of young people were infrequent users.

Most commonly misused drugs

The CSEW asked questions on the use of specific controlled drugs, including amphetamines, anabolic steroids, cannabis, cocaine (crack and powder), ecstasy, heroin, ketamine, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), magic mushrooms, mephedrone, methadone, methamphetamine, nitrous oxide and tranquillisers.

Respondents were asked if they had taken pills or powders (not prescribed by a doctor) or smoked substances (excluding tobacco) without knowing what they were.

Around one million people reported using a Class A drug in the last 12 months, showing no statistically significant change from the previous year.

Class A drugs – cocaine (crack and powder), ecstasy, heroin, LSD, magic mushrooms, methadone and methamphetamine –  are considered to be the most harmful.

There was no change in the prevalence of Class A drug use in the last year for people aged 16 to 59 years or people aged 16 to 24 years.

Cannabis continues to be the most used drug in England and Wales since estimates began in 1995.

In the latest year, cannabis use decreased to around 2.3 million people from around 2.5 million people in the previous year, returning to levels seen a decade ago.

Use of nitrous oxide and crack cocaine slightly decreased, compared with the previous year, but magic mushroom use increased from 0.8 per cent to 1.1 per cent.

Drug use higher among young people  

Illicit drug use was more prevalent among young people, with 16.5 per cent of those aged 16 to 24 (almost 971,000 individuals) reporting any usage during the survey period.

While this represents no statistically significant change compared to the previous year (17.6% in the year ending March 2023), it is much lower than the numbers recorded in the year ending March 2014 (19.1 per cent) and March 2020 (21.0 pr cent).