This annual statistical report presents information on drug misuse among both adults and children. It includes a focus on young adults. The topics covered include:
- prevalence of drug misuse, including the types of drugs used
- trends in drug misuse over recent years
patterns of drug misuse among different groups of the population - health outcomes related to drug misuse including hospital admissions, drug treatment and deaths related to drug misuse
- The bulletin also summarises government plans and targets in this area, as well as providing sources of further information and links to relevant documents.
The bulletin draws together data from a variety of different sources and presents it in a user-friendly format. Most of the data contained in the bulletin have been published previously, by The NHS Information Centre, Department of Health, the Home Office, Office for National Statistics, the Health Protection Agency or the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse. Previously unpublished figures on drug-related admissions to hospital are presented.