Lifetime Drug Use Prevalence Among Young Adults in Denmark

"As table 2.2.4 shows, half (45%) of the young adults under the age of 35 in 2010 has tried cannabis ever, and 14% are current users - ie they state having used cannabis within the past years. As far as prevalence of illicit drugs other than cannabis is concerned, 14 % of the young adults under the age of 35 years in 2010 have tried such drugs, and 3 % are current users thereof (table 2.2.5). There is a small, however significant decrease in the current use of drugs other than cannabis among the 16-34-year-olds from 2008 to 2010.
"The current use of drugs among the 16-24-year-olds (cf. table 2.2.6 and 2.2.7 below) is higher than among the 25-34-year-olds. However, it is also among this age group that the use of illicit drugs from 2008 to 2010 is the highest. In 2010, 19% of the young people under the age of 25 years report having a current use of cannabis (report having used cannabis within the past year), which is more or less the same level as in 2008. However, 4% of the young people under the age of 25 years report in 2010 having a current use of illicit drugs other than cannabis, which is almost a 50% decrease and significantly fewer than in 2008, when 8% reported a current use.
"When considering the drugs individually, amphetamine, cocaine and ecstasy are the most prevalent drugs after cannabis. Table 2.2.8 and 2.2.9 below indicate that the proportion of the current use (drugs used within the past year) of amphetamine and ecstasy among the "young adults" is relatively stable from 2000 to 2008, whereas the current use of cocaine somewhat rises during the period. From 2008 to 2010, however, there is a drop in the current use of all three drugs, amphetamine, cocaine, and ecstasy. The decrease in the use of amphetamine is significant for the 16-34-year-olds, whereas the decrease in the use of cocaine and ecstasy is only significant among the 16-24-year-olds. The falling trend in the current use of amphetamine, cocaine and ecstasy during these years is thus particularly seen among the young people under the age of 25 years (re table 2.2.10 of the annex). It also appears from the tables that a significantly higher number of young men than women have a current use of amphetamine, cocaine and ecstasy."