OVER 70 per cent of students in University College Dublin have taken illegal drugs, according to a survey of 350 students by the University Observer newspaper.
Almost 70 per cent of those questioned admitted they had tried cannabis at least once over 40 per cent said they were regular cannabis users; and over 60 per cent said that cannabis should be legalised. Less than 1 per cent had tried heroin.
Over 20 per cent of students said they had tried ecstasy, of whom 40 per cent were regular users. LSD and "magic mushrooms" had also been tried by 20 per cent of students surveyed while amphetamine, or "speed", had been used by 18 per cent. Less than 10 per cent said they had tried cocaine. Of those who had experimented with drugs, almost a quarter had their first experience in school and a further 17 per cent had tried drugs for the first time in university.
The newspaper surveyed mainly undergraduates aged from 18 to 23, on a face to face basis across a number of faculties, including science, agriculture and arts.