Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia annual report 2023–24

Cannabis: client demographics and treatment

In 2023–24, cannabis was reported as a drug of concern (either principal or additional) in 1 in 4 treatment episodes (27%, 58,427) (Table Drg.4).

Cannabis was the third most common principal drug of concern:

• 1 in 6 treatment episodes were for cannabis as a principal drug of concern (16%, 34,248) (Table Drg.4).
• Over 10 years to 2023–24, treatment episodes for cannabis fluctuated, peaking at 45,043 in 2015–16.
• In 2015–16 cannabis was surpassed by amphetamines as the second most common principal drug of concern (PDOC).

In 2023–24, 3 in 10 (28%, 9,655) cannabis-related treatment episodes reported at least 1 additional drug of concern (Table Drg.2). The most common additional drugs of concern were alcohol (31% or 4,467 episodes), nicotine (25%, 3,533), and amphetamines (23%, 3,253) (Table Drg.3). Clients can nominate up to 5 additional drugs of concern: these drugs may not have been the subject of any treatment within the episode.

Figure CANNABIS: Closed treatment episodes for own alcohol or drug use by cannabis as a principal drug of concern and top 5 additional drugs of concern, 2023–24

Note: Diagram presents the top 5 additional drugs of concern for a principal drug of concern by closed treatment episodes. Totals do not add to 100%.

Client demographics

In 2023–24, 21,028 clients received treatment for cannabis as the principal drug of concern.

Of these clients:

• 3 in 5 were male (58%) (Table SC.9).
• 2 in 3 people were aged either 10–19 (30%) or 20–29 years (34%) (Table SC.10). This was consistent for both males and females (Figure CANNABIS 1).
• 1 in 5 were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people (23% of clients) (Table SC.11). This represents a rate of 663 First Nations clients per 100,000 people (crude rate for clients aged 10 and over) (Table SCR.26).

Treatment

In 2023–24, 34,248 treatment episodes were provided to clients for cannabis as the principal drug of concern (Table Drg.4).

Among cannabis-related treatment episodes in 2023–24:

• The most common referral sources into treatment were health services (30%) and self/family (29%), followed by diversion referrals from the criminal justice system (17%) (Figure CANNABIS 2, Table Drg.13). For more information on diversion clients, see Source of referral and diversion clients.
• The most common main treatment type was counselling (41%), followed by assessment only (19%) (Figure CANNABIS 2, Table Drg.27).
• Counselling remained the most common main treatment type between 2014–15 and 2023–24.
• 7 in 10 treatment episodes took place in a non-residential treatment facility (68%) (Table Drg.29).
• The median duration of treatment episodes was almost 4 weeks (27 days) (Table Drg.30).
• 2 in 3 episodes ended with a planned completion (66%), while 18% ended unexpectedly (that is, the client ceased to participate against advice, without notice or due to non-compliance) (Figure CANNABIS 2, Table Drg.29).

Clients referred via diversion programs

In 2023–24, 1 in 10 clients receiving treatment for their own drug use were referred into treatment via police or court diversion programs (11%, 13,043 clients) (Table SC.13).

Among these clients:

• 4 in 10 reported cannabis as the principal drug of concern (37%) (SC.13).
• 18% also received alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment following referral through other sources, such as from a health service or self/family (Table OV.14).
• 1 in 6 treatment episodes for cannabis as the principal drug of concern were provided to clients who had been referred via diversion programs (17%, 5,968) (Table Drg.13).

Diversion clients by selected principal drug of concern

Nationally, in 2023–24 treatment referrals via drug diversion programs accounted for a substantial proportion of treatment episodes for clients with a principal drug of concern of cannabis.

In 2023–24, of the total 25,162 diversion-related treatment episodes:

• Cannabis (40%) was the most common principal drug of concern for diversion referral episodes into treatment, followed by amphetamines (19%).
• Amphetamines (28%) was the most common principal drug of concern for diversion clients who also received non-diversion treatment episodes (Figure CANNABIS 4, Table OV.14).

For clients with no diversion-related referrals, alcohol was the principal drug of concern for nearly half (45%) of the episodes.