The number of young people taking illegal drugs in Northern Ireland has halved in six years, it was revealed today. One in ten 16 to 24 year-olds admitted taking an illegal drug in the month before being surveyed - a drop from more than one in five, in 2001.
Overall drug misuse in recent years is also down, the latest Northern Ireland Crime Survey shows. Numbers who admitted taking illicit substances within the previous month of being asked dropped by from 7 per cent in 2001 to 4 per cent.
Criminal Justice Minister, Paul Goggins MP, said: "This is welcome news and reflects a lot of hard work at community level, including the strong partnership between statutory and voluntary organisations aimed at dissuading young people from taking drugs in the first instance.
"Overall there remains a downward trend in drug misuse in all age groups indicating that the educational and preventative work is having an impact. Northern Ireland has the lowest levels of misuse in the UK.
A total of 8 per cent questioned said they had used at least one type of illegal drug in the past year while the number was 10 per cent for England and Wales. Of those aged between 16 and 24 in Northern Ireland, 22 per cent reported using illicit drugs within the last 12 months compared with 24 per cent for England and Wales.
However, Mr Goggins said: "This research should not hide the damage done by drugs. Drug misuse causes harm not only to those who use illegal drugs but also to their families and friends.
"We cannot and will not be complacent. We will continue to disrupt the criminal gangs that organise the trade in illegal drugs and will work to bring dealers to justice. "We will make sure that those people who want to stop using drugs are given help and support."
Almost a third of all respondents admitted taking illegal drugs at some point in their lives while cannabis was the most commonly used drug. Men misuse drugs in greater numbers than women. Almost a third of males questioned said they had used drugs at some stage in their lives while the figure was more than one in five for women.