Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report : August 2024 edition
This report contains summary statistics covering a number of important justice and safer communities areas. It is published with up to date statistics every month.
Summary statistics on drugs
▶The proportion of adults reporting use of comparable illicit drugs rose between 2008-09 and 2018-20. Results from the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) showed that in 2018-20, 9.7% of respondents reported taking one or more of these drugs in the 12 months prior to interview. This was an increase from 7.6% in 2008-09 and 7.4% in 2017-18. The drugs listed in the survey questionnaire are the same for both 2017-18 and 2018-20, enabling a direct comparison.
▶One in eight people used illicit drugs in 2021. The most recently published statistics, from the 2021 Scottish Health Survey, showed that 12% of respondents used one or more of these types of drugs in the 12 months before interview. This is a different survey and, although the methodology is similar, the results may be different in a survey focused on health rather than crime. As a result this estimate is not shown as continuous with the SCJS.

Contact
Email: justice_analysts@gov.scot
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