New research conducted by the Crime Survey of England and Wales has found that the gay and bisexual adults are using significantly more illegal drugs than heterosexuals.

In the report, as featured in The Times, drug use was found to be a three times higher amongst gay and bisexual men, while amongst lesbian and bisexual women it was found to be four times higher than heterosexual women.

The survey stated, “Gay or bisexual adults were more likely to have taken any illicit drug in the last year than heterosexual adults”. In particular, gay or bisexual men were the group most likely to have taken any illicit drug in the last year, with higher levels of illicit drug use than gay or bisexual women and heterosexual men.

Overall 2.74 million of all adults aged 16 to 59 had used illegal drugs in the year 2013-14, a figure that is up 233,000 on the previous year.

Crime Prevention Minister Norman Baker told, “The coalition government is working hard to prevent illegal drug use – helping dependent individuals through treatment, educating young people about the risks and supporting aw enforcement in tackling the illicit trade”.