Almost everyone agrees: drugs are bad. But what can be done to curb their illegal use when they are so accessible in every city, town and probably village in the UK?

Going out drinking alcohol in pubs, bars and clubs is a common pastime today, not just for teenagers, but for adults of all ages, and it is generally considered an acceptable social practice.

However, drug abuse for recreational purpose is not considered acceptable, but can we really expect people not to when it works out cheaper to buy a couple of ecstasy tablets rather than a pint of ale at the local?

Ecstasy, also known as E, X, XTC, pills, disco biscuits, or Methylenedioxymethamphetamine to the chemically minded, floods the streets in the UK. Even a stranger in town can usually find their way to a local supplier, simply by asking a few questions to the right people.

Although a Home Offices study in 2001 reported that the cost per pill to the end user "could be as little as £7.50, or as much as £10 to £15 when purchased in clubs", the Greater London Authority came much closer to the mark in 2007 with a report highlighting regional variations in cost. Their findings suggested the price per pill ranged from £1.50 to £5.

The powdered, crystal form of ecstasy is referred to as MDMA, as well as mud, molly, mandy and madman. No extensive research has been carried out into its cost, but its price to the end user ranges from about £25 to £50, while the dealer can purchase it for somewhere nearer £10 when bought in bulk.

MDMA powder has seen a dramatic rise in popularity in recreational use in the UK in recent years, perhaps in part due to the fact that it is easier for the user to control the dosage and purity.

MDMA is rarely cut because its taste is very distinctive and the user would usually be able to tell if it had been. Some choose to snort it, which results in a faster effect than 'bombing it', which is when a small amount of powder is put into a Rizla paper and swallowed.

Marijuana has been a controversial drug in the UK for a while now. No one seems to really know how legal it is since it was reclassified as a class C drug, and as such it is not uncommon to see users casually lighting up as they walk down the public streets.

Cost wise, an eighth of cannabis in the UK can typically be bought for £15-20, or even half that if bought in solid form as hash. This provides enough drugs for the average user to have at least two evenings of recreational use, and at a much cheaper price than two nights out on the town drinking.

In schools pupils are often taught that drugs kill, full stop. The very fact that they are taboo entices young people to experiment with drugs, and that is where the problem lies. Cars are a much bigger killer than illegal drugs, but they don't tell you not to drive or cross the road at schools.

Education about drugs needs to be as explicit as possible. If young people are taught everything there is to know about drugs, they will be less inclined to challenge the information they currently learn about drugs, which tends to be information which is dated and edited.

It has been suggested in the past that some drugs become legalised to control their use and cost, although this would obviously be a radical move for the government to make. Problems with drug misuse not only relate to the actual deaths they cause, but to the crime and vandalism that many government figures say result from drug dependency.

Tackling the issue of drug abuse is not an easy task, but tackled it must be. With the cost for end users dropping, someone needs to think of a way to discourage the use of the likes of ecstasy and cannabis.

The government have implemented the smoking ban and made an attempt to curb under-age drinking with the 'Think 21' campaign, challenging those who look young for ID when purchasing alcohol. Now it is time they did something about drugs.

The article Ecstasy: cheaper than a pint originally appeared on 999 Today