Drug figures

More than half of men aged 20 to 24 have taken illegal drugs, according to government figures.

In a Commons written reply health minister Tessa Jowell said 48 per cent of males aged 16 to 19 indicated they had used drugs. The 1996 British Crime Survey suggested that for females the figures were 43 per cent in the 20-24 group and 42 per cent for the 16-19 group.