NCJ Number
139783
Date Published
1992
Length
45 pages
Annotation
The statistics presented in this bulletin cover two aspects of the misuse of drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971: seizures of controlled drugs and persons dealt with for offenses involving controlled drugs.
Abstract
Drug seizures increased by 15 percent in 1991 to 69,800, a rate of increase similar to 1990 but slower than in the two previous years. The vast majority of seizures in 1991 (90 percent) involved Class B drugs (alone or with Class A or C drugs) and cannabis in particular. Some 62,700 (90 percent) of the seizures made in 1991 were made directly from the person, and the majority in terms of numbers were made by the police. The number of persons dealt with for drug offenses (including those found not guilty and those not dealt with at court) increased in 1991 to 54,000, 5 percent more than in 1990. Males accounted for the increase in the number of drug offenders between 1990 and 1991; the number of female offenders dropped by 100 (2 percent) to slightly under one-tenth of the total. Offenders under age 21 represented 50 percent of the offenders but accounted for 85 percent of the total increase in offenders. 18 notes, 14 figures, and 18 tables