Trends - Illegal Drugs 1987–2004
  Attitudes to and experience of illegal drugs

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A report in the series showing trends in young people's health related behaviour. The report provides factual information and over 40 easy-to-read charts and tables that are relevant to those concerned with the healthy development of young people.

Written using data derived from the Health Related Behaviour Questionnaire surveys, the report uses a sample of 369,847 young people between the ages of 10 and 15 from across the UK.

This report shows trends from 1987-2004 in data from young people that have reported their attitudes to and experience of illegal drugs.
The illegal drugs include:
  • cannabis
  • amphetamines
  • solvents
  • ecstasy
  • hallucinogens: synthetic
  • hallucinogens: natural
  • heroin
  • poppers
  • barbiturates
There are trends data from:
  • those who have been offered and taken at least one drug
  • those who have been offered and taken cannabis
  • those who have been offered and taken drugs other than cannabis
  • those who have been offered and taken amphetamines, solvents, ecstasy, hallucinogens: synthetic and hallucinogens: natural
  • those that personally know a drug user
  • those that believe amphetamines are always unsafe
  • ratio of believe that amphetamines, barbiturates, ecstasy and cannabis are always unsafe/safe
  • those who worry about drugs

Summary [TOP]

When looking over the figures since 1987, we find that young people in recent years are more likely to...
  • have been offered drugs (up to 53% of 14-15 year olds in 2002)
  • have been offered cannabis (up to 48% of 14-15 year old males in 2002)
  • have taken drugs (up to 33% of 14-15 year olds in 1996)
  • have taken cannabis (up to 29% of 14-15 year old olds)
  • think that amphetamines are 'always unsafe' and - as pupils get older - fewer think that cannabis is 'always unsafe'
  • We also find that young people in recent years are less likely to...
  • know (personally) a drug user (up to 70% of older pupils in the mid-1990s)
  • worry about drugs (between 1993-1999 declining numbers reported worrying 'quite a lot/a lot' about drugs)
…when compared with figures from previous years.
Selected charts Have been offered at least one of the listed drugs


Have taken at least one of the listed drugs



Selected findings [TOP]

HAVE BEEN OFFERED AND TAKEN AT LEAST ONE DRUG, CANNABIS AND OTHER DRUGS…1987-2004
  • In some years over 50% more young people report being offered drugs compared to those that report taking them. If we can take these reports at face value, this suggests that young people are both willing and able to refuse unwelcome offers of drugs. Education in schools often emphasises not just knowledge about drugs but also social skills, such as being able to escape pressure to participate in a particular action.
  • In 2004, the highest percentage of 14-15 year old females reported being offered cannabis. Around 2:3 reported taking it compared to being offered it (27% reported taking cannabis and 42% reported being offered it).
  • There was a rising trend for those who were offered drugs other than cannabis
  • Experimentation with other drugs has stabilised at below 20% between 1999-2004
'FAIRLY SURE/CERTAIN' I PERSONALLY KNOW A DRUG USER… 1991-2004
  • Figures from the 1990s are generally higher than those from 2000 onwards, particularly for the older pupils.
  • Over the years around 30% of 12-13 year olds and up to 70% of older pupils, in the 1990s, have reported knowing personally a drug user. For the older group, this has declined to around 60% in recent years.
  • Figures from 10-11 year olds show that around 20% and up to 27% report knowing a drug user. Younger males more than females consistently report higher percentages.
  • As pupils grow older there is little gender difference in the percentages after 11 years of age

SHEU is an independent research and publishing organisation. Each year the Schools Health Education Unit supports surveys in hundreds of communities nation wide and compiles the results from these surveys in the series ‘Young People in…’. The survey services began in the late 1970s and have been very widely used, and from the data bases from 1983 onwards we are publishing data to allow examination of trends. Our annual survey sample is ‘accidental’ and not deliberate and is therefore not a representative 'national sample' in a research sense. It is however very large, and within any one community is never less than 40% of the community and often greater than 70%. The aim is to provide robust data for the community in which the data are collected and used. With the large sample it comes as no surprise to discover that Unit’s annual data compilations usually match the outcomes of orthodox procedures for the collection of 'national data'.

For comments on this report contact
Dr David Regis Research Manager
Tel:01392 667272

The report is available from SHEU (£10 incl. p&p) [TOP]