NCJ Number
218910
Date Published
February 2007
Length
24 pages
Annotation
Findings from the Queensland Household Illicit Drug Use Survey (Australia) for 2002-05 address the prevalence of illicit drug use, patterns of drug use, perceptions of the health risks associated with drug use, perceptions of the ease of obtaining illicit drugs, and various sociodemographic factors that may be associated with drug use.
Abstract
Survey findings show that cannabis was by far the most commonly used illicit drug. It was also the drug used at the earliest age of initiation. Cannabis was perceived as the easiest drug to obtain and the least harmful to one's health. Although nearly all respondents perceived moderate or serious health risks from weekly or monthly use of amphetamine, heroin, ecstasy, or hallucinogens, significantly fewer respondents considered that cannabis posed the same level of health risk. This perception is contrary to current research findings, which indicate that cannabis poses serious health risks, such as the development and/or exacerbation of psychosis and other mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression. Factors linked to illicit drug use were consistent with prior research. Being male, being young, having never married, and having been involved in criminal activity increased the risk for illicit drug use. Respondents with these characteristics were also the least likely to view the use of illicit drugs as harmful. The Queensland Household Illicit Drug Use Survey is a statewide telephone survey on illicit drug use conducted annually. Over 13,000 Queenslanders participated in the survey between 2002 and 2005. 9 tables, 13 figures, and 34 references