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Across EU countries, respondents in Cyprus were most likely to describe local drug use as a serious problem. Shutterstock
Drug use
Nearly two-thirds of people see drug use as a serious problem in their local area
The figure of 63% was slightly above the EU average of 60%, a new survey found.
ALMOST TWO-THIRDS OF people surveyed in Ireland consider illicit drug use a serious problem in their local area, according to a new European study.
The first European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) Drug Survey found that 30% of respondents in Ireland described local drug use as a “very serious problem”, while 33% considered it a “serious problem”.
That combined figure of 63% put Ireland three points above the EU average of 60%.
However, the proportion in Ireland describing the problem as very serious was slightly below the EU average of 32%.
Almost a quarter of Irish respondents, 23%, said drug use was not too serious a problem locally, while 9% said it was not a problem at all. The remaining 5% did not know or gave no answer.
The findings, published today, measured people’s perceptions of drug use in their communities rather than the prevalence of drug use itself.
Across EU countries, respondents in Cyprus were most likely to describe local drug use as a serious or very serious problem, at 78%, followed by Luxembourg at 75% and Bulgaria at 73%.
The lowest figures were recorded in Denmark, at 44%, Poland at 48% and Finland at 49%.
The survey also examined attitudes towards drug availability, health concerns and how authorities should respond.
Across the EU, half of respondents believed drug use in their local area had increased over the previous five years, while 48% thought cannabis would be easy to obtain within 24 hours.
Asked how people who use drugs should be dealt with when they come into contact with the justice system, 45% favoured treatment and support, compared with 31% who chose a criminal conviction or prison sentence.
According to research published in July, levels of cocaine and ketamine use among drug users in Ireland are higher than most other countries in Europe.
Results from the European Web Survey on Drugs in 2024, which took place across 35 European countries to determine drug use among adults, found that 46% of drug users in Ireland reported taking cocaine in the previous 12 months compared to the average of 29% among drug users across Europe.
Irish drug users also recorded higher rates of ketamine use than drug users in other European countries.
25% of Irish respondents said that they had taken the drug over the previous year, compared with the European average of 14%.
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