Young people in the UK are taking a lot of Class A drugs

People in England and Wales are doing the highest amount of Class A drugs that have been done in over a decade.

8.4 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds did Class As in 2017/2018, which is almost double the 4.8 per cent who took them in 2012/13 and the highest it's been since 2005/06, according to the Home Office's Crime Survey of England and Wales for 2017/18.

3.5 per cent of 16 to 59-year-olds had also done Class As, compared to 3 per cent in 2007/08.

The Home Office reckons this is because of an "increase in powder cocaine and ecstasy use".

Cocaine is the second most common drug for young people, with approximately 371,000 saying they'd taken it.

16 to 24-year-olds taking ecstasy increased in 2017/18, totaling at at 5.1 per cent compared to 4.3 per cent in 2016/17. However, the majority of those surveyed said they only took ecstasy and cocaine once or twice a year.

Ketamine use among young people is also up to 3.1 per cent, an increase from 1.2 per cent.

34,400 households in England and Wales were surveyed this year.

It's not just humans getting high on coke, even British eels are dabbling.

For tips on safe ecstasy use, read this.

[Photo: MDMA Team]

Dave Turner is Mixmag's Digital News Editor, follow him on Twitter