Australia’s injecting drug users are getting older and nearly one in five have overdosed in the past year, according to a snapshot of illicit drug use in Australia released today.
Ecstasy, one of the most popular “recreational” drugs in Australia over the past two decades is becoming less popular with regular users, consistent with global trends, say the authors of a new report from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of NSW.
The 2010 National Drug Strategy Household Survey has uncovered a slight increase in the use of illicit drugs among Australians, while levels of risky alcohol use remain unchanged.
Young Australians are being asked about the influence of media messages in shaping their attitudes to illicit drugs – as part of a world-first study.
The number of Australians presenting for hospital treatment with cannabis-related problems has jumped by nearly a third since 2002 according to a study from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC).
Teenagers who occasionally use cannabis may be putting themselves at greater risk of drug problems in later life, according to an Australian study.
Ecstasy use seems to be on the decline, although some regular ecstasy users appear to be turning to alternatives such as cocaine and synthetic chemicals, according to Australia’s largest drug monitoring system.
Quitting cannabis use in your 20s significantly reduces your chance of progressing to other illicit drug use, according to research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
