Background: little is known about illicit drug use in older people. Prevalences may rise as populations for whom illicit drug use has been more common and acceptable become older.
Objectives: to quantify illicit drug use in people aged 50 years and over in England and inner London and to compare this between 50 and 64 and 65+ age groups.
Methods: primary analyses used data from the 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) and the 2008-10 South East London Community Health (SELCoH) Survey. Secondary analyses included additional data on 50-64 year olds from the 1993, 2000 and 2007 APMS, and on 65-74 year olds from the 2000 and 2007 APMS.
Results: cannabis was the drug most commonly used in all samples. Prevalences of use within the last 12 months in 50-64 and 65+ age groups were 1.8 and 0.4%, respectively, in England and 9.0 and 1.1%, respectively, in inner London. Prevalences of use at any time previously were 11.4, 1.7, 42.8 and 9.4%, respectively. Lifetime cannabis, amphetamine, cocaine and LSD use in 50-64 year olds had increased approximately tenfold in England from 1993. Lifetime and 12-month trends in tranquilisers were relatively stable.
Conclusions: use of some illicit drugs, particularly cannabis, has increased rapidly in mid- and late-life.