More than a third of nightclub-goers in Lithuania have tried drugs at least once, according to a new survey by the Drug, Tobacco, and Alcohol Control Department, published on Tuesday.
In the survey, 36.6 percent reported having used drugs at least once in their lives. Of them, 21.9 percent said they had done so in the last year and 13.5 percent had done so in the last 30 days, the survey shows.
More than half of those who have used drugs in the last month reported having done so in the last 24 hours, Gražina Belian, the department’s acting director, said, adding that men are more likely to use drugs than women, while respondents in Vilnius and Klaipėda claimed to have used drugs most often.
“Men spoil the statistics a bit here,” she joked.
According to the survey, the prevalence of drug use among club-goers was several times higher than in the general population. Overall, 14.1 percent of the country’s population aged 15-64 used drugs at least once in 2021, compared to 23.8 percent in the 15-34 age group.
Cannabis was the most popular drug in Lithuania, with 36.6 percent of respondents having tried it. Meanwhile, 16.5 percent have tried ecstasy at least one in their life, followed by cocaine or crack (12.9 percent) amphetamine or methamphetamine (11.7 percent), LSD (11.3 percent) and hallucinogenic mushrooms (10.3 percent).
The use of drugs at least once in their life was lower among club-goers last year, compared to 2018, but higher than in 2013 and in most cases higher than in 2008.
Moreover, almost half of the respondents use some product containing tobacco or nicotine on a daily basis, with a higher prevalence among men, the survey showed.
The survey of 503 nightclub and bar goers in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda and Šiauliai was carried out between June 13 and July 17, 2022. Similar surveys were carried out in 2008, 2013, and 2018.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
