Country overview: United Kingdom
- Situation summary
- Data sheet
- Barometer
Key statistics on the drug situation in the United Kingdom
| Indicator | Year (0) | Country data |
EU range | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min. | Max. | ||||||
| Lifetime prevalence of drug use among young adults (15 to 34 years old) — cannabis | GPS | 2008 | a;b | 38.8 % | 2.9 % | 45.5 % | 1 |
| Lifetime prevalence of drug use among all adults (15 to 64 years old) — cannabis | 2008 | a;c | 30.6 % | 1.5 % | 32.5 % | 1 | |
| Last year prevalence of drug use among young adults (15 to 34 years old) — cannabis | 2008 | a;b | 12 % | 0.9 % | 21.6 % | 1 | |
| Last year prevalence of drug use among all adults (15 to 64 years old) — cannabis | 2008 | a;c | 6.6 % | 0.4 % | 14.3 % | 1 | |
| Lifetime prevalence of drug use among young adults (15 to 34 years old) — cocaine | 2008 | a;b | 13.4 % | 0.1 % | 13.6 % | 1 | |
| Lifetime prevalence of drug use among all adults (15 to 64 years old) — cocaine | 2008 | a;c | 8.8 % | 0.1 % | 10.2 % | 1 | |
| Last year prevalence of drug use among young adults (15 to 34 years old) — cocaine | 2008 | a;b | 4.8 % | 0.1 % | 4.8 % | 1 | |
| Last year prevalence of drug use among all adults (15 to 64 years old) — cocaine | 2008 | a;c | 2.5 % | 0 % | 2.7 % | 1 | |
| Recent school surveys: lifetime prevalence (15 to 16 years old) — cannabis | EYE | 2007 | 29 % | 4 % | 45 % | 2 | |
| Recent school surveys: lifetime prevalence (15 to 16 years old) — cocaine | 2007 | 5 % | 1 % | 5 % | 2 | ||
| Problem drug use — rate per 1 000 population aged 15 to 64 years old | PDU | 2008 | 10.1 | 0.5 | 10.1 | 1 | |
| Injecting drug use — rate per 1 000 population aged 15 to 64 years old | 2008 | 3.7 | 0.22 | 15.1 | 1 | ||
| Infectious diseases (% infected) — HIV | INF | 2008 | d | 0.9–4.1 % | 0 % | 32.5 % | 1 |
| Infectious diseases (cases per million) — HIV infections newly diagnosed in injecting drug users | 2008 | 2.4 | 0 | 63.4 | 5 | ||
| Infectious diseases (% infected) — HCV | 2008 | e | 26.1 %; 54 % | 22.4 % | 90.7 % | 1 | |
| Infectious diseases (% infected) — HBV HBsAg | 0.5 % | 3.9 % | 1 | ||||
| Drug-related deaths | DRD | 2008 | 2 481 | 6 | 2 481 | 3 | |
| Drug law offences (as number of reports of offences) | DLO | 2009 | 146 909 | 772 | 397 620 | 2 | |
| Drug law offences for use/possession | 2009 | 99 861 | 285 | 372 230 | 1 | ||
| Cannabis drug law offences i | 2009 | f | 50.2 % | 24.4 % | 91.5 % | 4 | |
| Number of new clients entering treatment | TDI | 2009 | 45 048 | 21 | 45 048 | 3 | |
| Number of new clients entering treatment with known primary drug | 2009 | 43 683 | 0 | 43 683 | 3 | ||
| New clients entering treatment (% opioids of clients with known primary drug) | 2009 | 41 % | 3.1 % | 92.8 % | 3 | ||
| New clients entering treatment (% cocaine of clients with known primary drug) | 2009 | 21.8 % | 0 % | 56 % | 3 | ||
| New clients entering treatment (% cannabis of clients with known primary drug) | 2009 | 28 % | 1.9 % | 80.2 % | 3 | ||
| Number of all clients entering treatment | 2009 | 139 390 | 350 | 139 390 | 3 | ||
| Number of all clients entering treatment with known primary drug | 2009 | 133 960 | 350 | 133 960 | 3 | ||
| All clients entering treatment (% opioids of clients with known primary drug) | 2009 | 61.2 % | 10.4 % | 97.1 % | 3 | ||
| All clients entering treatment (% cocaine of clients with known primary drug) | 2009 | 14.5 % | 0.1 % | 46.4 % | 3 | ||
| All clients entering treatment (% cannabis of clients with known primary drug) | 2009 | 17.1 % | 0.6 % | 69.8 % | 3 | ||
| Syringes provided through needle and syringe programmes | HSR | 0 | 4 861 195 | 1 | |||
| Number of all clients in substitution treatment | 2009 | a | 143 219 | 189 | 137 541 | 2 | |
| Price in euros per gram — cannabis herb ii | PPP | 2009 | g | EUR 3.20 | EUR 2 | EUR 70 | 5 |
| Price in euros per gram — cannabis resin ii | 2009 | g | EUR 3.20 | EUR 3 | EUR 19 | 5 | |
| Price in euros per gram — cocaine ii | 2009 | g | EUR 44.90 | EUR 45 | EUR 104 | 5 | |
| Price in euros per gram — heroin (brown) ii;iv | EUR 23 | EUR 135 | 5 | ||||
| Price in euros 1 tablet — XTC ii | 2009 | g | EUR 2.80 | EUR 3 | EUR 15.90 | 5 | |
| Price in euros per gram — amphetamine ii | 2009 | g | EUR 11.20 | EUR 8 | EUR 41.80 | 5 | |
| Purity (%) — cocaine iii | 2009 | h | 20.3 % | 18 % | 51.3 % | 5 | |
| Purity (%) — heroin (brown) iii | 12.9 % | 37 % | 5 | ||||
| Potency (%) — cannabis resin iii;v | 2.9 % | 17.3 % | 5 | ||||
| Potency (%) — cannabis herb iii | 1.3 % | 12.4 % | 5 | ||||
Notes
i As percentage of all drug law offences reported.
ii When available, country provides minimum, maximum, mean, median and modal (most frequent) price in euros recorded. This table shows the mean price in euros.
iii When available, country provides minimum, maximum, mean, median and modal (most frequent) purity/potency (percentage). This table shows the mean purity/potency (percentage).
iv The minimum value in the European range refers to the mean price.
v The maximum value in the European range refers to the mean potency.
b Age range: 16 to 34 years old.
c Age range: 16 to 59 years old.
d England and Wales; Northern Ireland; Scotland respectively.
e Data are not national. Based on samples from England and Wales, and London.
f Based on number of mentions of cannabis among all drug mentions, whether alone or with other drugs.
g Data provided by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).
h Data refer to England and Wales, and Scotland, respectively.
