UK drug situation 2019: summary

The government has reported the highest prevalence of drug use in the past 10 years: prevalence of any drug use in the past year was 9.4% in England and Wales, 12% in Scotland, and 5.9% in N Ireland. Drug use among 15 year olds rose over the past 5 years. Cannabis remains the most common drug, followed by powder cocaine, MDMA, ketamine and amphetamine. Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists, such as Spice, are widely used in prisons (buprenorphine in scottish ones).