Drug use in Ireland
Key Irish Data
In 2021, 354 drug poisoning deaths were recorded in Ireland (last available figures). Non-poisoning data for 2021 is not available.
19,875 - estimated number of people using Opiates in Ireland
6.6% of the adult population (aged 15–64) have tried cocaine at least once
The HRB National Drugs Library provide key Irish research and data in relation to drug & alcohol use. The following information is available:
- Annual reports These reports are an overview of new developments and trends in the drugs area in Ireland.
- Drugs factsheets These factsheets contain information on treatment, prevalence, mortality and crime in Ireland for these drugs: Alcohol, Opiate, Cocaine, Sedatives & Tranquillisers, Cannabis and Young people, drugs and alcohol
- Policy documents Irish & EU Drug, alcohol and tobacco policy documents
- Prevalence figures Surveys of the general population to estimate the number of people in Ireland who use drugs and alcohol
- Treatment figures The National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS) collects anonymous data about people in drug and alcohol treatment.
Drug Related Deaths The National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI) is a database of cases of death by drug and alcohol poisoning, and deaths among people who use drugs and people who are alcohol dependent. In the seventeen year period 2004–2020 a total of 11,066 poisoning deaths and deaths among people who use drugs met the criteria for inclusion in the NDRDI database. The number of deaths increased by 82% during this period, from 431 in 2004 to 786 in 2020.