LONDON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Use of controlled drugs, such as cocaine, is at its highest level in a decade because of a fall in the price, official statistics show.

Data released by the Home Office from the Crime Survey of England and Wales for 2017/18 show that 8.4 percent of 16 to 24 year-olds had used Class A drugs in the last year, compared with seven percent in 2016/17.

The proportion marks the highest since 2005/6 and a significant rise from the recent low of 4.8 percent, seen in 2012/13.

Class A drugs represent those deemed most dangerous, and so carry the harshest punishments.

Experts said it is related to the cocaine price drop, as the price of the ecstasy is lowest in more than 25 years, with 30 pounds a gram.

Meanwhile, young people nowadays can easily access Class A drugs using mobile phones and internet, experts warned.

A spokeswoman for drugs charity Release said the figures showed that "criminalisation does not deter drug use".

"The reported increase in recent powder cocaine use could be attributed to the drug's reduced street-level price, and its higher purity," she added.

A report published last month said that cocaine use among young people in England and Wales was the highest in Europe.