Prevalence of Past-Month Use of Various Drugs in England and Wales Among People Aged 16 to 59

"• Around one in 25 adults (4.0%) aged 16 to 59 said they had taken a drug in the last month. This equates to around 1.3 million people. The proportion is similar to the previous year (4.3% in the 2015/16 CSEW) and is statistically significantly lower than those observed a decade ago in the 2006/07 survey (6.0%) and when CSEW measurements began in 1996 (6.7%) (Appendix Tables 1.03 and 1.04; Figure 1.5).

"• The proportion among young adults aged 16 to 24 followed a similar trend, although the proportion was nine per cent, more than double that of the wider age group. This equates to around 550,000 young people aged 16 to 24 having taken a drug in the month prior to interview. This represents statistically significant falls compared with 14.3 per cent in the 2006/07 survey and 19.2 per cent in the 1996 survey (Appendix Tables 1.07 and 1.08; Figure 1.5).

"• Last month use of Class A drugs was reported by 1.0 per cent of adults aged 16 to 59 and 2.3 per cent of young adults aged 16 to 24. Similarly to any drug use in the last month, these proportions have not changed statistically significantly compared with the previous survey year, but are statistically significantly down compared with a decade ago (Appendix Tables 1.03 and 1.07; Figure 1.5).

"• Among adults aged 16 to 59, the drugs most commonly taken in the last month were cannabis (3.2%, similar to the 2015/16 survey), powder cocaine (0.8%, similar to the 2015/16 survey) and ecstasy (0.3%, similar to the 2015/16 survey).

"• Among adults aged 16 to 24, the drugs most commonly taken in the last month were cannabis (7.6%), powder cocaine (1.6%) and ecstasy (1.1%). The use of these three drugs in the last month by 16 to 24 year olds has not changed statistically significantly compared with the previous survey year.

"• Mephedrone use in the last month was statistically significantly lower in the 2016/17 survey than in the 2015/16 survey among both 16 to 24 year olds and 16 to 59 year olds. For young adults it reduced from 0.4 per cent to zero respondents, and for 16 to 59 year olds it reduced to less than 0.1 per cent of respondents."