Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Number of young Britons using anabolic steroids is rising as latest drug use survey reveals changing habits

Analysis: Increase reflects concerns about their use in sports of all types and levels

Ian Hamilton,Harry Sumnall

Friday 28 July 2017 12:02 BST

Samples of the anabolic steroid Danabol DS confiscated in a police bust (Getty)

Every year, the UK Home Office invites a sample of 50,000 people to tell them whether they have used any illicit drugs. Although you might wonder why anyone would willingly share this type of information, most people agree to take part. The survey helps us to understand the trends in UK drug use and informs policy and service planning.

So what does this year’s survey reveal about Britons’ use of drugs?

Overall, drug use at a population level remains stable. Cannabis continues to be the UK’s favourite illegal drug with 2.2 million people using it in the last year. Although this seems like a large number, it’s worth remembering that 29 million people drink alcohol every week and 9m continue to smoke.

Heroin (27,000 users) and cocaine (760,000 users) use remains stable generally although there was a slight increase in the proportion of young people using cocaine over the last year.

There are signs that more young people aged between 16 and 24 are using drugs – 19.2 per cent (1.2 million) reporting using a drug in the last year – although this is still a lower proportion than a decade ago, when 24.2 per cent reported using drugs.

But a significant increase in anabolic steroid use is concerning, with 19,000 more young people using these type of drugs, reversing the previous trend of declining use. This increase reflects concerns about their use in sports of all types and levels.

Demonstrating how varied drug use can be by age, those aged between 55 and 59 have doubled their use of drugs over the last 20 years. Most of this is driven by an increase in cannabis use.

In 2016, Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) – referred to as “legal highs” – were banned in the UK and this would appear to have significantly reduced their popularity. Only 0.4 per cent of the sample reported using this type of drug, compared to 0.7 per cent last year.

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Show all 10

1/10World's 10 deadliest street drugs

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Whoonga

Whoonga is a combination of antiretroviral drugs, used to treat HIV, and various cutting agents such as detergents and poisons. The drug is widely available in South Africa due to South Africa’s high rate of HIV sufferers, and is believed to be popular due to how cheap it is when compared to prescribed antiretrovirals. The drug is highly addictive and can cause major health issues such as internal bleeding, stomach ulcers and ultimately death

Getty

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Scopolamine

Scopolamine is a derivative from the nightshade plant found in the Northern Indian region of South America (Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela). It is generally found in a refined powder form, but can also be found as a tea. The drug is more often used by criminals due its high toxicity level (one gram is believed to be able to kill up to 20 people) making it a strong poison. However, it is also believed that the drug is blown into the faces of unexpecting victims, later causing them to lose all sense of self-control and becoming incapable of forming memories during the time they are under the influence of the drug. This tactic has reportedly been used by gangs in Colombia where there have been reports of people using scopolamine as way to convince victims to rob their own homes

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Heroin

Founded in 1874 by C. R. Alder Wright, heroin is one of the world’s oldest drugs. Originally it was prescribed as a strong painkiller used to treat chronic pain and physical trauma. However in 1971 it was made illegal under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Since then it has become one of the most destructive substances in the world, tearing apart communities and destroying families. The side effects of heroin include inflammation of the gums, cold sweats, a weak immune system, muscular weakness and insomnia. It can also damage blood vessels which can later cause gangrene if left untreated

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Crack cocaine

Crack cocaine first came about in the 1980’s when cocaine became a widespread commodity within the drug trafficking world. Originally cocaine would have attracted a high price tag due to its rarity and difficulty to produce, but once it became more widespread the price dropped significantly. This resulted in drug dealers forming their cocaine into rock like shapes by using baking soda as a way of distilling the powder down into rock form. People were doing this because it allowed for them to sell cocaine at a lower quantity and to a higher number of people. The side effects of crack cocaine include liver, kidney and lung damage, as well as permanent damage to blood vessels, which can often lead to heart attacks, strokes, and ultimately death

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Crystal meth

Not just famous because of a certain Walter H White, but also because it is one of the most destructive drugs in the world. First developed in 1887, it became widely used during the Second World War when both sides would give it to their troops to keep them awake. It is also believed that the Japanese gave it to their Kamikaze pilots before their suicide missions. After the war crystal meth was prescribed as a diet aid and remained legal until the 1970s. Since then it has fallen into the hands of Mexican gangs and has become a worldwide phenomenon, spreading throughout Europe and Asia. The effects of crystal meth are devastating. In the short-term users will become sleep depraved and anxious, and in the long-term it will cause their flesh to sink, as well as brain damage and damage of the blood vessels

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

AH-7921

AH-7921 is a synthetic opioid that was previously available to legally purchase online from vendors until it became a Class A in January 2015. The drug is believed to have 80% of the potency of morphine, and became known as the ‘legal heroin’. While there has only been one death related to AH-7921 in the UK, it is believed to be highly dangerous and capable of causing respiratory arrest and gangrene

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Flakka

Flakka is a stimulant with a similar chemical make-up to the amphetamine-like drug found in bath salts. While the drug was originally marketed as a legal high alternative to ecstasy, the effects are significantly different. The user will feel an elevated heart rate, enhanced emotions, and, if enough is digested, strong hallucinations. The drug can cause permanent psychological damage due to it affecting the mood regulating neurons that keep the mind’s serotonin and dopamine in check, as well as possibly causing heart failure

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Bath salts

Bath salts are a synthetic crystalline drug that is prevalent in the US. While they may sound harmless, they certainly aren’t the sort of salts you drop into a warm bath when having a relaxing night in, they are most similar to mephedrone, and have recently been featured throughout social media due to the ‘zombification’ of its. The name comes from the fact that the drug was originally sold online, and widely disguised as bath salts. The side effects include unusual psychiatric behaviour, psychosis, panic attacks and violent behaviour, as well as the possibility of a heart attack and an elevated body temperature

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Purple Drank

One of the more unusual drugs around at the moment, purple drank was popularised in 90s hip hop culture, with the likes of Jay Z and Big Moe all mentioning it in their songs. It is a concoction of soda water, sweets and cold medicine, and is drunk due to cold medicines high codeine content, which gives the user a woozy feeling. However it can also cause respiratory issues and heart failure

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Krokodil

Krokodil is Russia’s secret addiction. It is believed that over one million Russians are addicted to the drug. Users of krokodil are attracted to the drug due to its low price; it is sold at £20 a gram while heroin is sold for £60. However, krokodil is considered more dangerous than heroin because it is often homemade, with ingredients including painkillers, iodine, lighter fluid and industrial cleaning agents. This chemical make-up makes the drug highly dangerous and likely to cause gangrene, and eventually rotting of the flesh

But we cannot infer that fewer people are using NPS in the UK simply from a decrease in reported use of these drugs. This is mainly because NPS use is most prevalent in the groups that are excluded from the survey, such as homeless and prison populations.

Again, however, there are exceptions with nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, proving to be more popular than it was two years ago.

Reflecting concern about the rise in misuse of prescription drugs, the survey has asked people if they have used these drugs without a prescription – and 7.6 per cent said they had. Unlike those using other types of drugs, the majority of people who misuse painkillers report using no other type of drug.

While the survey can demonstrate trends in drug use there is real weakness in the prevalence data. This is because the survey is a household survey and misses out key groups such as students living in student accommodation, those who are homeless and “problematic users who are unable to take part in an interview”.

Over recent decades, governments of all shades have continued to support a policy that aims to reduce the demand for drugs and restrict supply. This year’s survey might be viewed as an endorsement of such an approach. But the survey continues to show how fast some trends in drug use can be.

It took the government seven years to update its drug strategy – that’s geological time in the world of drug use. An increase in anabolic steroid use among young people means that young people will need to access vital harm reduction services, such as specialist needle and syringe programmes, which are entirely lacking in the 2017 Drug Strategy.

Not only is drug treatment receiving year-on-year cuts to its budget, but the penny pinching extends to this survey. Indeed, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is currently consulting on whether to continue collecting drug use data as part of the broader crime survey. This would be shortsighted as the costs are negligible and the data informs policy which has the potential to save lives.

Ian Hamilton is a lecturer in mental health at University of York. Harry Sumnall is a professor at Liverpool John Moores University.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies