You are here:

  • Print

released: 28 Apr 2000

Provides an accessible summary of major drug-use statistical collections which will lead interested readers to sources of more detailed information. Data are presented on drug use patterns (including trends and international comparisons); the economics of drug use; drug use among special population groups; the health impacts of drug use; treatment services; and drug-related crime and law enforcement. This report and others in the Drug Statistics Series will be useful resources for policy-makers, planners and researchers interested in drug-related matters.

ISSN 1442 7230; ISBN 978 1 74024 044 4; Cat. no. PHE 16; 80pp.; OUT OF PRINT

  • Publication

 Full publication

Publication table of contents

  • Preliminary material (26K PDF)
    • Title page and verso
    • Contents
    • List of tables
    • List of figures
    • Preface
    • Acknowledgments
    • Abbreviations
  • Chapters
    1. Introduction (19K PDF)
      1. Background
      2. About this report
      3. Data sources
      4. Overview of drug use in Australia
    2. The National Drug Strategy (12K PDF)
      1. Background
      2. Evaluation of the National Drug Strategy 1993 - 97
      3. National Drug Strategic Framework 1998 - 99 to 2002 - 03
      4. Performance indicators
      5. Evaluation, monitoring and reporting
    3. Tobacco (26K PDF)
      1. Overview
      2. Consumption
      3. Patterns of use
      4. Economics
      5. Support for measures to reduce smoking
    4. Alcohol (42K PDF)
      1. Overview
      2. Apparent consumption
      3. Patterns of use
      4. Economics
      5. Support for measures to reduce alcohol consumption
    5. Illicit drug use (25K PDF)
      1. Overview
      2. Opportunity to use drugs
      3. Use of illicit drugs
      4. Trends in illicit drug use
      5. Attitudes to drug use
      6. Support for legalisation of illicit drugs
      7. Support for harm reduction measures
      8. Support for increased penalties for supplying illicit drugs
    6. Pharmaceutical products (16K PDF)
      1. Background
      2. Top ten prescription medicines
      3. Community prescriptions for major drug groups
      4. DDDs for drugs affecting the nervous system
      5. Top five analgesics
    7. Special population groups (25K PDF)
      1. Overview
      2. Young people
      3. Indigenous people
      4. People born overseas
      5. Australian-born non-Indigenous people
      6. Pregnancy, breastfeeding and drug use
    8. Drugs and health (29K PDF)
      1. Mortality and morbidity
      2. Injecting drug use and communicable diseases
      3. Perception of the effects of drugs on health
    9. Treatment services (20K PDF)
      1. Background
      2. Methadone treatment services
      3. Participation in a drug-related treatment program
      4. Clients of Treatment Service Agencies census
    10. Crime and law enforcement (23K PDF)
      1. Overview
      2. Experience of alcohol- or other drug-related violence or crime
      3. Illicit drug arrests
      4. Prisoners
  • End matter
    • Appendixes (13K PDF)
      • Appendix 1: Drug legislation
      • Appendix 2: Major datasets
    • References (9K PDF)

Recommended citation

Higgins K, Cooper-Stanbury M & Williams P 2000. Statistics on drug use in Australia 1998. Drug Statistics Series. Cat. no. PHE 16. Canberra: AIHW.