Lockdown is changing the UK’s drug use. Out have gone “party drugs” such as ecstasy and cocaine, while alcohol and cannabis remain popular. Of the more than 1,000 UK residents who responded to the English language version of the Trans-European COVID-19 and drugs survey, which began on 17 April and ran until the start of this month, more than half of those who drank said they were drinking more frequently in lockdown. Nearly a third also said that they drank larger quantities than normal. More than 90% of those who responded said they usually took drugs and over three quarters said they had taken drugs during lockdown. Almost a third said they were taking drugs more often. One in five said they took larger quantities than normal. Almost 60% of respondents said they use cannabis. In lockdown this has fallen a little to almost half of the sample. “Most people report having significantly reduced their use of stimulants during lockdown because they don’t want to take them at home and bounce off the walls,” said Professor Fiona Measham of the University of Liverpool and director of the Loop, a charity that provides drug safety testing and harm reduction services and which hosted the English language version of the survey. “People aren’t taking stimulant drugs, they are taking depressant drugs particularly alcohol,” Measham said. “Over 90% who usually drink are drinking and people say they are drinking more frequently. It’s not surprising, given the blurring between week days and weekends.” More than half of respondents – 52% – said they take cocaine. But this had more than halved to 24% during lockdown. It is a similar picture for ketamine. Almost half said they usually take it but less than one in five reported taking it during lockdown. Almost half of drug users said they normally took MDMA powder while 44% said they took MDMA pills. But only around 9% of them were now doing either pills or powder during lockdown. There were also big falls in the use of LSD and magic mushrooms. Just under half – 49% – said they had found buying drugs more difficult during lockdown. But 85% of users said they didn’t think there had been a change to the purity levels of the drugs they were taking. This may be because a third – 35 % – said they had stockpiled drugs for use during lockdown. In recent weeks there have been concerns about illegal raves and parties. While only 6% of respondents said they had attended an illegal party during lockdown up to 1 June, this figure was expected to rise in the second phase of the study which will look at drug use over the summer. “There is evidence that a rift has opened up among ravers,” Measham said. “Some older ravers, DJs and promoters are advising people to respect social distancing and not attend illegal raves, but, with echoes of the early 1990s rave scene, some younger people think they should have the right to party and the government is trying to curtail their freedoms.”