Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS): national overview 2018

Sources and Availability

Sources of Alcohol and Tobacco

One of the most common sources of alcohol, tobacco and drugs was to get it from a friend. It was also common for pupils to get alcohol from a relative or at home (either with or without permission).

However, it was rare for smokers to get tobacco from relatives. It was more common for them to ask an adult to buy tobacco for them. 

Figure 10: Most common sources of alcohol, tobacco and drugs, among both age groups (2018)

The proportion of pupils getting tobacco from shops has decreased markedly since 2002.

There has been an increase in the proportion of pupils getting tobacco from supermarkets between 2015 and 2018, but no further change for newsagents, garages and ‘other’ shops in the same time period.

Figure 11: Proportion of 15 year old regular smokers, sourcing tobacco from retail outlets (1990-2018)

There has been an increase in the proportion of pupils reporting that they have been offered drugs between 2015 and 2018.

Figure 12: Proportion of pupils who have ever been offered drugs, by age (2018)