Has drug use become 'normal' or normalised?
In recent years the idea that drug use has become a 'normal' part of life in the UK has been growing. This idea is based upon a range of research that has shown a growth in drug use and a change in attitudes towards certain types of drugs. For many young people cannabis in particular has become a relatively normal part of their lifestyle. Research however has not supported the claim that drug use in general, and particularly not drugs such as heroin or cocaine, are now a normal part of most people's life in the UK.
A range of recent research shows that incidence of drug use, particularly among the young, is increasingly common, and that in the near future those that have 'ever-used' an illicit drug may well be more numerous than those that haven't. In any sense, those that argue that drug use has become a relatively normalised part of life for young people in the UK base their argument around the fact that large numbers of individuals are now drug users.
The vast majority of the increase in drug use and its integration into British society has been through the use of drugs such as cannabis, ecstasy and amphetamine. Rates of 'ever use' of drugs such as heroin and cocaine have remained relatively stable at around 3-4% of the population. Use of these drugs remains, as before, quite rare
References
Parker, H. and Measham, F. (1994) 'Pick 'N' Mix: Changing patterns of illicit drug use amongst 1990s adolescents', Drugs-Education, Prevention and Policy, 1(1), p.5-13.
Shiner, M. and Newburn, T. (1999) 'Taking tean with Noel: The place and meaning of drug use in everyday life', in South, N. Drugs: cultures, controls and everyday life. London, Sage.
Shiner M. and Newburn T. (1997) 'Definitely, Maybe not? The normalisation of drug use amongst young people', Sociology, 31(3), p.511-529
