For
the third year running, the Guardian is teaming up with addiction
specialists, media organisations and academics to help conduct the
world's biggest drug survey. Here's how you can take part and what we've
found in the past
Anonymous surveys are crucial for filling the gap between reality and government statistics Photograph: The Guardian
But governments rarely collect statistics on other types of drugs - how they make people feel, how much they spend and what, if anything, they do to stay safe. So, in 2011, Mixmag, a dance music magazine teamed up with Dr Adam Winstock, an addictions psychiatrist, to start a huge anonymised online survey and get some answers to things like:
• What's the perfect marijuana?
• How many people grow their own?
• How would legalisation change the way people talk about drugs?
In 2012, the Guardian partnered with them and the survey responses grew from 2,500 to 15,500. This year, the survey will be available in 10 different languages, via 25 media organisations to seek out a truly global response.
You can respond to the survey anonymously at www.globaldrugsurvey.com/GDS2014. We'll publish the results in March 2014.
The drugs survey has proven its value in the past: ketamine wasn't a word that UK drug agencies were aware of until the survey detected its recreational use by clubbers. Here are some other key findings from past surveys:
22% online
The Silk Road online marketplace
In last year's survey, 22% of drug users said they had bought drugs online. The infamous Silk Road accounted for only a small fraction of those respondents (though 14% had set up an account on the site, only 3% had actually made a purchase).
Instead, drug deals may take place on legitimate sites via thinly veiled adverts posted by the likes of 'Mr Green' or 'Charles White' that can evade the attention of the website administrators.
1 in 5 take mystery powders
Photograph: Alamy
A fifth of young drug users admit to taking "mystery white powders" without any idea what they contain. The 2012 survey also showed that 15% of all respondents claimed to have taken a unknown white powder in the last 12 months, a third admitting its was supplied by someone they didn't trust.
More cannabis than energy drinks
Respondents that admit to having taken cannabis outnumbered those who had smoked tobacco or had high-caffeine, high-sugar energy drinks.Alcohol consumption the most concerning
Photograph: Sean Spencer/Alamy
19% of those completing the survey last year cited alcohol consumption (either their own or that of a friend) as a concern - compared to 12% worrying about cocaine and cannabis.
Legislation affects choices
The survey also provides some insights into the effects of current government policy - as well as potential changes to it. 1 in 5 respondents said that if possession carried no penalties they might be more likely to try drugs, while 1 in 20 said they would definitely do so.However the survey also highlighted some unexpected possible consequences of such a change: 27% of survey respondents said they would drink less alcohol if possession of drugs carried no penalty.
Despite the fact that it's anonymous and has been designed by academics and clinicians the survey has plenty of limitations. The mere act of clicking on the link means that respondents will already have something in common that other drug users might not - meaning the survey isn't perfectly representative.
What's more, as with other surveys, respondents might have a tendency to write what they think the researchers want to hear (even if it is subconsciously), or have trouble remembering their drug habits accurately. The survey is nevertheless one of the best tools that exists to simply ask individuals around the world about their experiences with legal and illegal drugs.
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