One in a regular series of slides on interesting data about alcohol and other drugs (and issues to do with multiple needs) from a UK perspective

1. Interesting things about
alcohol and other drugs
May 2016
ANDREW BROWN
@ANDREWBROWN365

2. Of the 1.25 million people estimated to be in destitution in the UK
415 thousand (33%) have complex needs, for example substance
misuse, mental ill-health, homelessness and contact with the criminal
justice system
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Problems/issues experienced in last 12 months by destitute service users
Complex needs (%) All destitute (%)
Source: https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/destitution-uk
“There is a body of opinion that those
who lack basic material requirements
because they spend at least a portion
of their income on drugs and alcohol
should not be considered destitute, or
at least their destitution should be
considered voluntary. However, it is
worth bearing in mind that a (slight)
majority of the destitute group with
complex needs in our census survey
had an income level below our
publicly-endorsed destitution
threshold. This means that even if they
spent nothing at all on intoxicants, they
would still not be able to afford their
basic needs.”

3. Drinking behaviours of young people in Scotland, Wales
and England
15-YEAR-OLDS WHO REPORT FIRST
DRUNKENNESS AT AGE 13 OR YOUNGER
PROPORTION OF 15-YEAR-OLDS THAT
DRINK AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK
Source: Health Behaviour In School-aged Children (HBSC) Study: International Report From The 2013/2014 Survey - http://bit.ly/1M30pxa
11%
12%
10%
16%
14%
12%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
Scotland Wales England
Girls Boys
12%
10% 10%
12%
10%
9%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
Scotland Wales England
Girls Boys

4. Cannabis use by young people in Scotland, Wales and
England
15-YEAR-OLDS WHO HAVE USED
CANNABIS IN THE LAST 30 DAYS
15-YEAR-OLDS WHO REPORT FIRST
CANNABIS USE AT AGE 13 OR YOUNGER
3%
2%
3%
7%
4%
5%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
Scotland Wales England
Girls Boys
Source: Health Behaviour In School-aged Children (HBSC) Study: International Report From The 2013/2014 Survey - http://bit.ly/1M30pxa
7%
8% 8%
13%
9%
7%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
Scotland Wales England
Girls Boys

5. More than one in four (26%) of the estimated number of
problem opiate users in Europe are in the UK
-
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
350,000
Source: Estimating the size of the main illicit retail drug markets in Europe - http://bit.ly/1T6pqHa

6. Estimated number of stimulant users in the UK by
frequency of use
624,969
374,981
166,658
83,329
416,646
291,652
-
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
Infrequent Cocaine Frequent Cocaine Infrequent
Amphetamines
Frequent
Amphetamines
Infrequent Ecstasy Frequent Ecstasy
Source: Estimating the size of the main illicit retail drug markets in Europe - http://bit.ly/1T6pqHa

7. Estimate of the size of the European (EU + Norway &
Turkey) illicit drug market (€ millions)
€ 9,484
€ 5,816
€ 1,893
€ 675
€ 7,064
€ -
€ 1,000
€ 2,000
€ 3,000
€ 4,000
€ 5,000
€ 6,000
€ 7,000
€ 8,000
€ 9,000
€ 10,000
Cannabis Cocaine Amphetamines Ecstasy Heroin
€millions
Source: Estimating the size of the main illicit retail drug markets in Europe - http://bit.ly/1T6pqHa

8. Detections by the dog teams at Manchester Airport
between November 2014 and June 2015
The Manchester Airport dog unit consisted of a team of trained Border Force
dog handlers and six dogs (with one in training).
“The dogs could be deployed within Border Force North region to search
arriving passengers and freight for various commodities: drugs, tobacco, cash
and meat (or other products of animal origin). Some dogs were trained to
search for more than one commodity, for instance cash and drugs.”
“In focus groups, staff were particularly interested in how the dogs could be
deployed more efficiently and effectively, and they told us of a need for
innovation. For example, the dogs were routinely deployed to meet high risk
flights but not used for some other flights.”
“Although the dogs were making detections, they were not delivering
effectively against ‘Control Strategy’ priorities. Heroin and cocaine were
assessed as ‘very high’ priority within both air passengers and freight. Yet,
according to the data provided by Border Force, the dogs had made no Class
A drugs detections in the period November 2014 to June 2015.”
Cigarettes and tobacco
• 46,010 cigarettes in 23 detections
• 4.65 kg of hand rolling tobacco in 3 detections
• 58.4 kg of other tobacco seizures in 3 detections
Products of animal origin
• 181.36 kg in 56 detections
Currency
• 249 detections totaling £909,8151
• 1 seizure totaling £28,000
Drugs
• Class A - No detections
• Class B – 6 detections
Source: http://icinspector.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/An-Inspection-of-Border-Force-Operations-at-Manchester-Airport-July-----October-2015..pdf
1 Detection does not necessarily result in seizure as the passenger may satisfy the officer that the cash has been acquired
legally, or a judge may rule that detected cash should be returned. It may also be some months before the court makes a
decision.

9. Recorded Drug Crime Statistics For England And Wales
2004/05 - 2014/15
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
180,000
2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15
Trafficking in controlled drugs Possession of controlled drugs (excluding cannabis)
Possession of controlled drugs (Cannabis) Other drug offences
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/historical-crime-data
NB - Recorded crime figures are affected by changes in levels of reporting to the police and
recording by them, and this should be borne in mind when looking at long-term trends.

10. Working more than 48 hours per week is associated with
an increased risk of binge drinking
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
1.1
1.2
1.3
< 35 hours 35 - 40
hours
41- 48 hours 49 - 54
hours
> 55 hours
“This systematic review and meta-analysis of 63 studies provides
comprehensive evidence of an association between long working
hours and alcohol use. Long working hours were associated with
1.11-fold likelihood of higher levels of alcohol use in the cross
sectional analysis of 333 693 participants from 14 countries. A
similar association (odds ratio 1.12) for new onset risky alcohol use
was observed in a prospective analysis of 20 studies including
100 602 participants from nine countries. The associations were
not dependent on participants’ sex, age, socioeconomic status,
geographical region, type of study sample, prevalence of risky
alcohol use in the cohort, or participation rate at follow-up.
Eighteen prospective studies with individual participant data
allowed us to perform a more refined comparison between work
hour categories. Compared with the standard (35-40) weekly
working hours, working 49-54 hours was associated with an odds
ratio of 1.13 and working ≥55 hours a week was associated with
an odds ratio of 1.12 for new onset risky alcohol use.”
Source: http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.g7772

11. Spending on mental health services in England in 2012-
13 came to £11.3 billion
£703
£1,236
£1,515
£2,019
£5,806
£-
£1,000
£2,000
£3,000
£4,000
£5,000
£6,000
£7,000
Child &
adolescent
mental health
disorders
Substance
misuse
Organic mental
disorders (e.g.
demintia)
Psychotic
disorders (e.g.
schizophrenia)
Other mental
health disorders
£million
“Mental health problems cost the UK economy an
estimated £105 billion each year. Some 44% of
people claiming Employment and Support
Allowance report that they have mental health or
behavioural problems. For those who are in
employment, mental health problems can have a
significant detrimental effect on their ability to
carry out their work effectively. The Centre for
Mental Health estimates that around 70 million
days are lost from work each year due to mental ill
health, making it the leading cause of sickness
absence in the UK. Some 60% of adults living in
hostels have a personality disorder, and an
estimated 90% of prisoners have a diagnosable
mental health problem or substance misuse
problem, or both, with 70% having two or more
recognised conditions.”
Source: https://www.nao.org.uk/report/mental-health-services-preparations-for-improving-access/

12. Nearly 1 in 5 assessments of children in need in England
in 2014/15 identified alcohol (17.8%) and/or drugs
(17.7%) as issues in the family
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
North
East
North
West
Yorkshire
and The
Humber
East
Midlands
West
Midlands
East of
England
London South
East
South
West
Alcohol Misuse Drug Misuse
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/characteristics-of-children-in-need-2014-to-2015#history