50% say that party drugs are safe

In the last year, deaths caused by legal highs have increased by 80% and the use of party drugs appears to be on the increase; however, a study has revealed that over 50% of UK residents believe that legal highs and party drugs are mostly safe. Party drugs in the study included ecstasy and PMA.

A Bitter Pill Survey

The study by Bauer Media radio stations, which include Absolute Radio, asked 2,307 people across the UK about their opinions on drugs. The results of the A Bitter Pill survey showed that over half the inhabitants of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland felt that legal drugs and party drugs pose either no or just some health risk.

In contrast to these opinions, around 50% of parents cite drug abuse by their children as their biggest concern. Parents are almost twice as concerned about party drugs as they are concerned about alcohol. Around four in ten parents are ‘very concerned’ about their children accessing drugs today.

An NHS drug advisor, Colin Tyrie, said: “The statistics from this survey are a vital tool in enabling us to put measures in places to protect people. We very rarely get access to raw information like this from our communities. This helps us target the information and advice we provide more effectively, whilst at the same time highlights the areas which need addressing.”

The A Bitter Pill campaign was launched following a rise in drug deaths. One party drug in particular, PMA, resulted in 20 deaths in 2012, up from just one death in 2011.