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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Global Drug Survey: Results for 2013
Global Drug Survey Wednesday 01 May 2013 The initiative is the brainchild of Dr Adam Winstock, a consultant clinical psychiatrist on the NHS and a research associate at Kings College London. He is joined by a panel of experts including Annette Dale-Perera, a research fellow at Imperial College London who is also a Director at DrugScope, as well as a former Director of the National Treatment Agency and a former commissioner at the UKDPC; and Dr. John Ramsey, an analytical toxicologist at St George’s University London who monitors emergence of new psychoactive drugs by analysing the substances found in “Amnesty Bins” in night-clubs. GPs, lawyers and drug users were also consulted in designing the survey. Participants were self-selected and accessed the survey through adverts in the Guardian newspaper, the dance music and clubbing magazine mixmag and the Gay Times. Information about the demographic of responders is not yet available for this survey, but in 2012, the vast majority (62.7%) of participants accessed the survey through the Guardian, and most were aged between 18-30, with 20.6% of respondents falling outside this range. The upshot of this, as is acknowledged on the Global Drug Survey website, is that inferences can only be made for the group of participants who are more likely to be those who use drugs or who are already interested in the issue, and cannot be extrapolated to the general population. However, the rigorous design of the questions and the large number of participants compared to similar studies in the past are great strengths to the online method. The information extracted from this study is up to date and very relevant to the largest drug-using demographic group in the UK. Yet more value will come from this initiative as participation grows and as trends are identified in historical data. We hope as time goes on, more data from the survey will become available and look forward to finding out what new insights might be revealed next year. Major Findings Cannabis 70.8% of UK respondents had used cannabis in the 12 months prior to taking the survey, making it the most popular illegal drug. A vast majority (83%) usually smoked their cannabis, with a further 13% preferring a pipe, a bong or a vaporiser. Almost 50% of respondents used 1/4 of a gram or less per day and 81% smoked less than a gram, with the majority of people spending £10 on that amount. MDMA 67% of UK respondents reported taking MDMA in the last 12 months, putting it in the number two spot for most used illicit drug. In a departure from the traditional image of ecstasy, the most popular form of MDMA is in crystals rather than pills, with 60.8% of those taking MDMA favouring this preparation. Reportedly this is because the quality is perceived to be higher (despite there being no relationship between appearance and strength) and because it is easier to measure out a dose. Oral ingestion remains the preferred method of administering MDMA, with only 15% of users snorting it. 85% of MDMA users usually use less than half a gram per session, costing an average of £40 per gram or between £5-10 for a pill. Cocaine 41.5% of UK respondents reported taking cocaine in the last 12 months. The survey revealed further development of the two-tier market for the substance. A gram of standard cocaine can typically be bought for around £50, whereas a gram of “luxury” cocaine will cost from £80 to over £100. 67% of those who reported using this higher-tier cocaine reported that the quality was higher. Cocaine was also rated as the worst value for money of all commonly used drugs, scoring an average 2.7 out of 10. The second worst was alcohol with a score of 5.3. Alcohol 95.1% of respondents reported having a drink at some point in the last 12 months. This is unsurprising considering this is the most widely available drug in the UK. However, it is interesting to note that, in a series of questions designed to investigate the positive and negative effects of the various drugs surveyed, alcohol was ranked as the top drug in four out of eight of the negative categories, appearing in the top three for all eight negative categories and only ranking third in one of the positive categories (Help in coping with life). It also ranked as the drug most likely to make people worry about someone else’s usage. Other drugs Mystery powders – 14% of respondents had taken a substance at a party or in a club without knowing what it was. New Psychoactive Substances/Legal Highs – 12% of respondents reported having taken a legal high, indicating the market for these is still relatively small despite a large amount of media coverage. Mephedrone and Ketamine – Use of both amongst regular clubbers has decreased since 2012. Mephedrone was reported as producing the worst hangover in the days following use. http://www.beckleyfoundation.org/2013/05/global-drug-survey-2013/
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