Illicit drug use

Two thirds (66%) of all prison entrants reported using illicit drugs in the 12 months prior to prison entry. As in the general population, recent illicit drug use was found most frequently in the younger age groups of prison entrants. The highest proportion of illicit drug use in the last 12 months was by prison entrants aged 25–34 years (74%) followed by 71% of 18–24 year olds; and the lowest drug use was by entrants aged 45 years or older (38%) (Table 1).

Over half (54%) of those who had used illicit drugs during the last 12 months had used more than one type of drug. Over 1 in 10 prison entrants used at least six different types of drugs.

Notes
1. Excludes New South Wales and Victoria who did not participate in the 2010 Census.
2. Totals include 1 entrant whose sex was unknown, 11 entrants whose age was unknown, 21 entrants whose Indigenous status was unknown and 7 whose recent drug use was unknown.

Source: Entrant form, National Prisoner Health Census 2010.

The most commonly used substances for non-medical purposes in the previous 12 months by prison entrants were cannabis/marijuana (51%), followed by meth/amphetamine (30%). Analgesics/pain killers (16%), tranquillisers/sleeping pills (12%) and other analgesics (including opiates/opioids, 11%) were also commonly used substances.

The most commonly used drugs differed slightly for male and female prison entrants: 

• Cannabis/marijuana was the most common drug, used by around half of both male (52%) and female (49%) prison entrants, followed by meth/amphetamines, used by 28% and 40% respectively. 
• Analgesics/pain killers were used by proportionally almost three times as many female (36%) as male (13%) entrants.

Cannabis/marijuana was the most common drug used by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous prison entrants; however the popularity of other drugs differed between Indigenous and non-Indigenous prison entrants. Cannabis/marijuana and analgesics/pain killers were the only drugs used by a greater proportion of Indigenous (54% and 17%) than non-Indigenous (50% and 15%) entrants. Non-Indigenous entrants were twice as likely as Indigenous entrants to use synthetic drugs including meth/amphetamines (38% and 19%, respectively) and ecstasy (13% and 6%, respectively).

Comparisons with the general population

Illicit drug use in the previous 12 months was more common among Indigenous and non-Indigenous prison entrants than in the respective general populations for all ages (Figure 1). For the non-Indigenous population, illicit drug use peaked among prison entrants at 25–34 years where 79% reported drug use in the previous 12 months; more than three times the rate of drug users the same age in the general population (24%).

Figure 1: Illicit drug use in last 12 months, prison entrants and the general population, by Indigenous status and age group, 2010

Note: Excludes New South Wales and Victoria who did not participate in the 2010 Census

Sources: Entrant form, National Prisoner Health Census 2010; AIHW analysis of 2008 NATSISS

For both Indigenous and non-Indigenous persons, each type of drug, in each age group, was used more commonly among prison entrants than the general population.

Among the Indigenous population:

• Cannabis/marijuana use was most prevalent in 18–24 year olds in the Indigenous prison entrant population (63%) and also in the general Indigenous population (23%). 
• Cannabis/marijuana use lessened with age to 13% of Indigenous 35–44 year olds in the general Indigenous population, and just under half (46%) of Indigenous prison entrants of the same age. 
• Both amphetamines and pain killers were used by around 1 in 20 (5–6%) people in the general Indigenous population, compared with 1 in 4 (25%) and 1 in 7 (15%) Indigenous prison entrants, respectively.

Among non-Indigenous prison entrants and the non-Indigenous general population, cannabis/marijuana was also the most commonly used drug (Table 2). As with the Indigenous population, interesting age comparisons can be made: 

• Non-Indigenous prison entrants aged 18–24 years old were at least twice as likely as their peers in the general population to report using each type of drug; while among 35–44 year olds, non-Indigenous entrants were at least 3 times as likely as those in the general population to report using each type of drug.
• Only 3% of 35–44 year olds in the general population reported using meth/amphetamines, compared with almost half (47%) of entrants the same age.

Note: Excludes New South Wales and Victoria who did not participate in the 2010 Census

Sources: National prisoner Health Census 2010 and National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2010