Facts & Figures

• There are three main types of drugs, classified according to the effect the drug has on the central nervous system: depressants, stimulants and hallucinogens.

• According to recent statistics in Australia, 23,313 deaths were attributed to drug use in 1998. Of these: 19,019 deaths were associated with tobacco use; 3271 deaths related to alcohol use; 1023 deaths resulted from illicit drug use.

• Statistics on Drug Use in Australia (2001) reported that, of Australians aged 14 and older:
– 59% of males and 38% of females drank alcohol at least weekly and a further 25% of males and 39% of females drank alcohol less than weekly
– approximately one in five, or 22%, of Australians were current regular tobacco smokers.

• Of the illicit drugs, of Australians 14 years of age and older, at some stage in their lives:
– 39.1% had used marijuana
– 11.5% had used analgesics (pain-killers)
– 6.2% had used tranquillisers/sleeping pills
– 9.9% had used hallucinogens
– 8.8% had used amphetamines
– 4.8% had used ecstasy
– 4.3% had used cocaine
– 3.9% had used inhalants
– 2.2% had used heroin
– 0.8% had used steroids
– 0.5% had used methadone.

• Drug laws in Australia distinguish between those who use drugs and those who supply or traffic drugs. The four main types of offences related to illegal drugs are: use, possession, cultivation, and trafficking.

• In 2001 the number of people using illicit drugs such as marijuana, heroin, amphetamines and ecstasy had fallen 23 per cent over the previous three years.

• In 2001 state and federal law enforcement agencies seized more than 61/2 tonnes of illicit drugs in more than 45,000 seizures, resulting in more than 78,000 arrests.

• A 2003 Commonwealth Government report est-imates that in 1998-99, tobacco accounted for $21 billion, or 60 per cent, of the costs of drugs to individuals, business and government, and alcohol made up $7.5 billion, or 22 per cent. But the illicit drug toll was fast catching up with alcohol, accounting for $6 billion, or 17 per cent of total costs.

• A study of several surveys into teenage girls’ risk-taking behaviour has found 70 per cent of young women engage in binge drinking – consuming five or more drinks on one occasion – and 19 per cent do so on a weekly basis. An alarming 22 per cent of girls aged 14 to 19 drink between nine and 30 alcoholic drinks in a day. And twice the number of teenage girls use drugs, compared with boys.

• Australian Bureau of Statistics figures released in 2003 show 1038 people died of drug overdoses in 2001, the most recent year for which figures are available. That was a drop of more than one-third from 1999, when drug-induced deaths peaked at 1739, or 1.4 per cent of all deaths in Australia. The report said the dramatic drop seemed to have been due to a shortage of heroin supply in Australia, also known as a heroin drought.

• In 2000-01 by far the largest category of drug arrests involved cannabis offences, with 54,017 offenders (69% of the national total). The next largest categories of arrests involved amphetamine offences (‘speed’), with 8851 offenders (11% of the national total), and heroin offences (7396 or 9%).

• In 2001, less than 1% of people used heroin in the last 12 months.

• In 2001, recent heroin use was more common by younger age groups and was most common among 20-29 year old males (0.6%).

• With the exception of the year 2000, the number of opiate overdose deaths increased steadily from 1988.

• In 1998, 737 opiate overdose deaths were recorded – more than twice the number recorded in 1988 (347 deaths).

• 1999 recorded the highest number of opiate overdose deaths within the 1988-2000 period (958 deaths).

• In 2001, less than 5% of males across all ages used amphetamine in the last 12 months.

• In 2001, recent amphetamine use was more common in the younger age groups and was most common among 20-29 year old males (14.1%).

• Less than 1% of the population aged 40 years and over have used amphetamines in the last 12 months (year 2001).