Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS): drug use report 2018

2 Prevalence and key trends

Summary of key changes over time

Prevalence of drug use in the last month remained stable between 2015 and 2018, except among 13 year old boys (where it rose from 3% to 4%). However, there have been increases in the proportion of pupils who have been offered drugs since the last wave of the survey. The proportion of 13 year old girls and 15 year old boys who say they would find it easy to obtain drugs if they wanted to has also increased since 2015 (Figure 2.1).

Figure 2.1 Summary of trends in drug use between 2015 and 2018

Drug use prevalence

Pupils were provided with a list of drugs (including their commonly used street names) and asked if they had used each of them. This information was used to create an overall measure of any drug use 'in the last month', 'in the last year' (including in the last month), 'ever' (including in the last month and last year) and 'never'.

2018 Figures

Most pupils have never used drugs at all: 94% of 13 year olds and 79% of 15 year olds (Figure 2.2). 15 year olds were more likely than 13 year olds to have ever used drugs or to have used them in the last month (Figure 2.3): 21% of 15 year olds had ever used drugs, compared to 6% of 13 year olds; while 12% of 15 year olds reported using drugs in the last month, compared to 4% of 13 year olds. Less the 0.5% of 13 year olds and 1% of 15 year olds said they took drugs at least once a week.

Trends Over Time

Drug use in the last month has been gradually decreasing since 2002. However, since 2013 there has been an increase in the proportion of boys who took drugs in the last month (2% of 13 year olds boys in 2013, compared to 4% in 2018; and 11% of 15 year old boys in 2013, compared to 15% in 2018). Drug use among girls of both age groups has remained fairly stable since 2013.

Gender Differences

15 year old boys were more likely than 15 year old girls to have used drugs in the last month. There were no differences between 13 year old boys and girls (Figure 2.4)

Figure 2.2 Proportion of pupils who have never used drugs, by age (2018)

Base: all 13 year olds (11,746), all 15 year olds (10,068)

Figure 2.3 Use of drugs in the last month, last year or ever, by age (2018)

Base: all 13 year olds (11,746), all 15 year olds (10,068)

Figure 2.4 Proportion of pupils who have used drugs in the last month, by sex and age (1998- 2018)

Base: all pupils (for full base sizes please see Appendix B)

Type of drugs used

This section focuses on 15 year olds as use of any drugs among 13 year olds is so low.

2018 Figures

Cannabis was the most widely used drug; 11% of 15 year olds had used cannabis in the last month and 19% had used it ever (Figure 2.5). In comparison with cannabis, the use of cocaine, ecstasy, MDMA powder and Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS - see Appendix C) was low.

Trends Over Time

Since 2015, there have been no statistically significant changes in the proportion of pupils using any of the individual drugs in Figure 2.5 in the last month or the last year.

Gender Differences

15 year old boys were more likely than 15 year old girls to have taken each of the individual drugs in Figure 2.5 in the last month.

Figure 2.5 Types of drugs used in the last month and ever, among 15 year olds (2018)

Q. When was the last time you ever used or took any of the following…?

Base: all 15 year olds pupils (10,068)

Alcohol use and drugs

2018 Figures

Among pupils who have ever used drugs, 31% of 13 year olds and 42% of 15 year olds had been drinking alcohol the last time they had used drugs.

Trends Over Time

Between 2010 and 2013 there was a notable decrease in the simultaneous use of alcohol and drugs. Between 2013 and 2018 however, there was been an increase in the number of 15 year old boys who had been drinking the last time that they used drugs (the increase among 13 year olds boys and 13 year old girls is not statistically significant) (Figure 2.6).

Gender Differences

Among both age groups, girls were more likely than boys to have been drinking the last time that they used drugs.

Figure 2.6 Proportion of pupils who were drinking alcohol the last time they used drugs, by sex and age (2002-2018)

Q. The last time you used drugs, were you also drinking alcohol?

Base: pupils who have ever used drugs (for full base sizes please see Appendix B)

Polydrug use

2018 Figures

Among those who had ever used drugs, 16% of 13 year olds and 15% of 15 year olds had used more than one drug (polydrug use) the last time they used drugs (Figure 2.7).

Trends Over Time

Since 2015, among both age groups there has been no change in the proportions who used more than one type of drug the last time they used drugs.

Gender Differences

15 year old boys were more likely than 15 year old girls to have taken more than one type of drug the last time they used drugs (17% of 15 year olds boys, compared with 12% of 15 year old girls). There was no statistically significant difference between 13 year old boys and girls.

Figure 2.7 Proportion of pupils who used more than one drug the last time they used drugs, by age (2018)

Q. The last time you used drugs, did you use more than one type of drug?

Base: 13 year olds who have ever used drugs (709), 15 year olds who have ever used drugs (2,079)

Effects of drug use

2018 Figures

In the last year, 45% of 15 year olds and 36% of 13 year olds who had ever taken drugs had experienced at least one immediate negative effect as a result^[7].

The most common effects were vomiting, doing something they later regretted and having an argument (Figure 2.8).

Trends Over Time

There was no change in the proportion of pupils who had experienced negative consequences as a result of using drugs.

Gender Differences

There were no gender differences in the proportions who experienced one or more negative effects of using drugs. In terms of the effects experienced, boys who had ever used drugs were more likely than girls who had ever used drugs to have had a fight as a result of taking drugs (13% of boys, compared with 9% of girls).

Figure 2.8 Proportion of those who have ever used drugs who experienced negative effects as a result, by age (2018)

Q. In the past year, as a result of taking drugs have you…?

Base: 13 year olds who have ever used drugs (779), 15 year olds who have ever used drugs (2,188)

Location of drug use

2018 Figures

Among both age groups, it was most common for pupils to have used drugs out in the street. The next most common locations were in someone else's home and (among 15 year olds) at a party (Figure 2.9).

Trends Over Time

There was no change in the proportion of pupils who reported using drugs in the various locations.

Gender Differences

In general, there were no gender differences by location of drug use, except among 13 year olds, where girls were more likely than boys to have taken drugs in someone else's home (29% of girls, compared with 14% of boys).

Figure 2.9 Location of last drug use, by age (2018)

Q. Where were you the last time you used drugs?

Base: 13 year olds who have ever used drugs (605), 15 year olds who have ever used drugs (1,952)

What pupils did with their drugs (used, sold, given away)

2018 Figures

Around half of pupils who had ever used drugs gave some of their drugs to someone else the last time they used them (52% of 13 year olds and 51% of 15 year olds) (Figure 2.10). Around four in ten used it all themselves (40% of 13 year olds and 42% of 15 year olds). Only a small proportion sold some of their drugs (10% of 13 year olds and 8% of 15 year olds).

Trends Over Time

Among 15 year olds, there was an increase in the proportion who said they used all of their drugs themselves (42% in 2018, compared with 37% in 2015) and a corresponding reduction in the proportion who gave some of their drugs away (51% in 2018, compared with 57% in 2015). Among 13 year olds there was no change between 2015 and 2018.

Gender Differences

Among 15 year olds, girls were more likely than boys to give some of their drugs away (56% of 15 year old girls, compared with 48% of 15 year old boys), while boys were more likely than girls to sell some of their drugs (9% of 15 year olds boys, compared with 5% of 15 year old girls). There were no differences between 13 year old boys and girls.

Figure 2.10 What 15 year old pupils did with their drugs on the last occasion that they used them (2018)

Q. The last time you used drugs, did you use them all yourself or did you sell or give some to someone else?

Base: 15 year olds who have ever used drugs (1,783)

Would like to stop taking drugs

2018 Figures

55% of 13 year olds and 40% of 15 year olds who had ever used drugs reported that they would like to stop using them (Figure 2.11). 30% of 15 year olds who use drugs once a month or more would like to stop.

Trends Over Time

The proportion of 15 year olds who reported that they would like to stop using drugs has declined between 2015 and 2018 (46% in 2015, compared with 40% in 2018). There was no change among 13 year olds.

Gender Differences

Among 15 year olds, girls were more likely than boys to want to stop taking drugs (47% of girls, compared with 37% of boys). There were no differences between 13 year old boys and girls.

Figure 2.11 Proportion of pupils who have ever taken drugs who would like to stop taking drugs by age (2018)

Q. Do you want to stop taking drugs?

Base: 13 year olds who have ever used drugs (464), 15 year olds who have ever used drugs (1,528)

Need help due to drug use

2018 Figures

Only small proportions of those who have used drugs felt that they needed help because of their use (10% of 13 year olds who have ever used drugs and 7% of 15 year olds who have ever used drugs).

Trends Over Time

The proportion of pupils who use drugs who feel they need help has remained stable over time.

Gender Differences

There were no differences in the proportion of boys and girls in either age group that thought they needed help due to drug use.