The new issue of Hot Press, which hits the streets this coming Thursday (April 17), contains the exclusive findings of the 2014 Global Drug Survey, a survey of recreational drug use, which was conducted for the first time this year in Ireland, with HP joining the likes of The Guardian, The Huffington Post, The Australian and La Liberacion as one of the official media partners.
Cannabis is confirmed as Ireland's most prevalent illegal drug of choice with 59.4% of respondents using it over the past 12 months - considerably higher than the international average. Even more newsworthy is the fact that MDMA, in either pill or powder form, was used by 45.2% of respondents - placing us second in the world league alongside the UK and behind only The Netherlands - while Cocaine was used by 24.3%. The graph below also confirms the substantial use here of opioid painkillers, magic mushrooms, LSD, Ketamine, 2CB and 'mystery white powders' - the latter bringing with them obvious health risks.
A dominant theme of the survey is a concern among drug users in Ireland about quality and purity, both of which people are prepared to pay extra for.
"In total, we received 78,820 responses from non-treatment seeking drug users all around the world," says Dr. Adam Winstock, the London-based Consultant Psychiatrist and Addiction Specialist responsible for crunching the GDS numbers. "These are the hidden masses in our society who don't usually appear on radars because, outside of their drug use, they're not committing crime, they're not in jail, they're not a drain on resources. They do however represent a spectrum of people that the medical profession, policy makers and law enforcement should be aware of." At 838, the Irish sample ranks eighth in relative size, out of the 20 countries surveyed.
In the upcoming issue of Hot Press, we'll tell you what people in Ireland are paying for their drugs; how they rate them in terms of value for money; drug users' experience of the approach of the Gardaí; where the biggest danger to recreational drug users comes from; and why prohibition is stopping those who need it from seeking medical help.
We'll also be asking: what happened to head shop drugs after Mary Harney banned them? How have the country's drug-taking habits changed in recent years? Would decriminalisation or legalisation trigger a surge in drug use?
These and all the other questions you might have about drug use in Ireland will be answered in the new Hot Press!

The Global Drugs Survey was designed by Dr Adam Winstock, a consultant addictions psychiatrist in London, and director of Global Drug Survey. It received ethics approval from the joint South London and Maudsley NHS and Institute of Psychiatry Ethics Committee. Global Drug Survey does not receive government funding. You can find out more about the The Global Drug Survey drugsmeter - an internet-based tool and app - which enables drug users to compare their drug use against that of other people who drink and take drugs here and about the drinks meter - an anonymous web and smartphone app here . You can read more about Global Drug Survey's research methods here