1 in 11 adults in the UK consume illicit drugs annually, claims Leeds Trinity criminology expert

Dr Rob Hornsby, an Associate Professor (Research) in Criminology, highlighted the sobering figures, based on Office for National Statistics data, while giving evidence from his own research to inform the Home Affairs Committee inquiry into the impact of serious and organised crime on local neighbourhoods. 

The inquiry, which was launched in February 2026, is examining the impact of serious and organised crime on local neighbourhoods and exploring the capacity of neighbourhood policing to support the wider police response to the matter. 

Dr Hornsby specialises in serious and organised enterprise crime and has a particular research interest in illicit marketplaces, county lines drug distribution networks, and the harm these networks cause to communities. By working with people directly involved in these markets, the police, and health and criminal justice agencies, his research explores how organised crime adapts to and remains resilient against law enforcement interventions.  

The inquiry heard that police forces across the UK have worked to tackle county lines – operations where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs – in recent years. Government figures show that law enforcement activity conducted through the County Lines Programme between July 2024 and December 2025 resulted in almost 4,000-line closures, over 10,000 arrests, and more than 5,000 safeguarding referrals.  

However, despite this apparent success, Dr Hornsby explained when giving evidence to the select committee hearing that there has been no statistically significant change in drug consumption. 

He said: “The suppliers are still getting through. It is estimated that 15.1% of people aged 16 to 24 years, approximately 900,000 people, and 8.7% of people aged 16 to 59 years old, approximately 2.9 million people, purchased illegal drugs in the UK last year. My estimation is that 1 in 11 of the adult population in the UK is consuming illicit drugs at least once annually, and there are significant concerns that fatalities have increased in the last year.” 

And drawing on his latest research exploring the changing use of social media and digital platforms in drug supply, Dr Hornsby suggests increasingly sophisticated methods of selling drugs online are ensuring substances are still reaching communities.  

“The market has changed and more and more people are now purchasing their drugs online – they will be delivered by the Royal Mail, and it’s trouble-free for those involved. There’s been an increase in online shopping, so why wouldn’t crime follow suit? Organised crime mirrors the legitimate economy; it’s not an underworld.” 

Dr Hornsby also argued that police aren’t just battling against suppliers, pointing to a wider cultural issue regarding drug consumption. “You only have to go into any public house to see the spread and depth of cocaine use in the United Kingdom,” he said. “That’s across all age groups, including men and women in their 50s and 60s who go back and forth to the toilet together, and pairs of young males who go into cubicles at the same time. I don’t think that’s for intimate reasons, or otherwise. I didn’t see that when I was growing up, but it’s everywhere now.  

“The use of cocaine is so widespread and has been normalised in this country. It’s a normal thing to do with your mates on a Friday and Saturday night and a common recreational leisure pursuit.” 

After providing the oral evidence, Dr Hornsby will submit written evidence to the Home Affairs Committee, focusing on how technological developments are facilitating the online purchase and supply of illicit drugs. He has also been invited to write for Comment Central, an independent public policy publication, to help inform and advise policymakers, government bodies, and organisations at national level on practice and legislation.