National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2022–2023:
State and Territory summaries of alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarette and other drug use
Web article
Last updated:
Topic: Illicit use of drugs
Citation
AIHW
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2024) State and Territory summaries of alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarette and other drug use, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 11 May 2024.
APA
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2024). State and Territory summaries of alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarette and other drug use. Retrieved from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/illicit-use-of-drugs/state-alcohol-drug-use
MLA
State and Territory summaries of alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarette and other drug use. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 29 February 2024, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/illicit-use-of-drugs/state-alcohol-drug-use
Vancouver
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. State and Territory summaries of alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarette and other drug use [Internet]. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2024 [cited 2024 May. 11]. Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/illicit-use-of-drugs/state-alcohol-drug-use
Harvard
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2024, State and Territory summaries of alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarette and other drug use, viewed 11 May 2024, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/illicit-use-of-drugs/state-alcohol-drug-use
Get citations as an Endnote file: Endnote
On this page:
Interactive data: Alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use by jurisdiction
Figure 1 includes jurisdictional results on the use of alcohol, tobacco, electronic cigarettes and vapes (‘e‑cigarettes’), and the most used illicit drugs including cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy and hallucinogens. Where possible, trend results are presented back to 2001, and jurisdiction results are presented alongside results for the rest of Australia (that is, excluding the selected jurisdiction).
Questions included for the first time in 2022–2023 without timeseries data available, such as the use of methamphetamine and amphetamine, are not included in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use by jurisdiction, people aged 14 and over, 2001 to 2022–2023
The figure shows the use of selected drugs in 2022–2023 for Australian States and Territories, and how use has changed within the selected jurisdiction since 2001.
Source: NDSHS 2022–2023.
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
** Estimate has a relative standard error between 51% and 90%, meaning it is not suitable for most purposes.
Notes:
- National Drug Strategy Household Survey data was collected over the 2022 and 2023 calendar years.
- Base is people aged 14 and over.
- Data from the 8 Indigenous remote communities interviewed in the Northern Territory in 2019 are excluded to maintain comparability over time and with other results.
- 'Recent use of any illicit drug' refers to use in the previous 12 months. Includes 17 classes of illicit drugs in 2022–2023. The number and type of illicit drug used varied over time.
- 'Recent use of any illicit drug excluding pharmaceuticals' refers to use in the previous 12 months. Includes 12 classes of illicit drugs (excluding non-medical use of pharmaceuticals) in 2022–2023. The number and type of illicit drug used varied over time.
- 'Recent use of cannabis' refers to use in the previous 12 months. In 2019 and 2022–2023, this excluded people that only used marijuana/cannabis that was prescribed by a doctor, and only used it for medical purposes.
- 'Recent use’ of cocaine and ecstasy refers to use in the previous 12 months. The definition of ecstasy included 'designer drugs' before 2004.
- 'Smoke daily' includes people who reported smoking tobacco at least once a day. This includes manufactured (packet) cigarettes, roll-your-own cigarettes, cigars or pipes, but excludes chewing tobacco, electronic cigarettes (and similar) and non-tobacco products.
- 'Ex-smoking' includes people who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes (manufactured and/or roll-your-own) or the equivalent amount of tobacco in their life and reported no longer smoking.
- 'Never smoked' includes people who have not smoked 100 cigarettes (manufactured and/or roll-your-own) or the equivalent amount of tobacco in their life.
- ‘Current e-cigarette user’ includes people who reported using electronic cigarettes/vapes daily, at least weekly, at least monthly, or less often than monthly. Includes data on vaping from 2016.
- ‘Ex e-cigarette user’ includes people who reported that they used to use electronic cigarettes/vapes but no longer use, or they only tried electronic cigarettes/vapes once or twice. Includes data on vaping from 2016.
- 'Abstainer' refers to people who have not consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months.
- ‘Risky alcohol consumption’ refers to people who have consumed more than 10 standard drinks per week on average, or 4 or more standard drinks in a single occasion at least once a month.
Key alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug results for each jurisdiction
In 2022–2023
-
Smoking
1 in 13 people in New South Wales smoked tobacco daily (7.5%).
-
Vaping
1 in 13 people in New South Wales were current users of e cigarettes (7.9%).
-
Risky drinking
1 in 3 people in New South Wales consumed alcohol at levels that put their health at risk (31%).
-
Illicit drugs
1 in 6 people in New South Wales had used an illicit drug in the previous 12 months (17.5%).
How many people smoke tobacco?
The proportion of people who smoked tobacco daily in New South Wales (NSW) dropped from 9.5% to 7.5% between 2019 and 2022–2023, marking the lowest level recorded since 2001 when 18.0% of people in NSW smoked daily. This means about 500,000 people smoked daily in 2022–2023, down from 600,000 in 2019. This was driven by a decline in smoking among people aged 18–24, from 7.8% to *3.5%, and people in their 40s, from 15.0% to 8.9%.
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
The proportion of people who were currently smoking (smoking daily, at least weekly, or less often than weekly) in New South Wales was lower than the rest of Australia (9.5% compared with 10.5%).
How many people use e‑cigarettes?
Around 1 in 5 people (21%) in New South Wales had used electronic cigarettes and vapes (e‑cigarettes) at least once in their lifetime in 2022–2023, up from 10.1% in 2019. There was also an increase in the proportion of people currently using e‑cigarettes (using them daily, weekly, monthly, or less often than monthly) from 2.2% in 2019 to 7.9% in 2022–2023. This means around 500,000 people in NSW were currently using e‑cigarettes in 2022–2023, up from 100,000 in 2019.
People aged 18 to 24 were the most likely to be currently using e‑cigarettes, at 19.9%, reflecting the national trend.
How many people drink alcohol?
In New South Wales, about 3 in 4 (74%) people had consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months, lower than people living elsewhere in Australia. Around 1 in 20 people (5.2%) drank alcohol daily, and 1 in 3 (34%) drank alcohol at least weekly but not every day.
Most people in New South Wales drank alcohol at levels that did not put their health at risk. The proportion who did drink alcohol at risky levels (31%) remained stable between 2019 and 2022–2023. This was true for the proportion of people who consumed more than 10 standard drinks per week (25% in 2022–2023) and the proportion who consumed more than 4 standard drinks in a single day at least once a month (25%)
People aged 18 to 24 were more likely to consume alcohol at ways that put their health at risk in 2022–2023 (49%) than in 2019 (39%). This was reflected in an increase in the proportion of 18 to 24-year-olds consuming more than 10 standard drinks per week on average (from 22% to 33%) and an consuming more than 4 standard drinks in a single day at least once a month (from 37% to 48%).
How has illicit drug use changed?
More than 1 in 6 people (17.5%) in New South Wales had used an illicit drug in the previous 12 months in 2022–2023. This was not a substantial change since 2019, when 15.9% of people had done so. Cannabis has remained the most commonly used illicit drug in NSW, and cocaine the second-most commonly used. The relative rates of other commonly used illicit drugs have changed since 2019 (Table 1).
There were meaningful changes in recent use of some illicit drugs in NSW between 2019 and 2022–2023:
- Non‑medical use of pain-relivers and opioids decreased from 2.7% to 2.0%.
- In contrast, use of ketamine increased from 0.8% to 1.4%.
Table 1: Top 5 illicit drugs used in the previous 12 months in NSW, people aged 14 and over, 2019 and 2022–2023
No. | 2019 | 2022–2023 |
|---|---|---|
1 | Cannabis (11.0%) | Cannabis (11.0%) |
2 | Cocaine (5.0%) | Cocaine (5.0%) |
3 | Ecstasy(a) (3.1%) | Hallucinogens (2.2%) |
4 | Pain-relievers and opioids(b) (2.7%) | Pain-relievers and opioids(b) (2.0%) |
5 | Tranquillisers/sleeping pills(b) (1.7%) | Ecstasy(a) (1.9%) |
(a) Declines in ecstasy are likely to be temporary. See this report for more information.
(b) For non‑medical purposes.
Note: Results exclude methamphetamine and amphetamine (0.9% in 2022–2023) and non‑medical use of pharmaceutical stimulants (1.7% in 2022–2023), as use of these drugs was not collected in 2019.
Source: NDSHS 2022–2023, Table 9b.32.
Recent use of pharmaceutical stimulants (1.7% of people in NSW) was lower than the rest of Australia (2.1%).
At what age did people first smoke tobacco, use e‑cigarettes, consume alcohol, or use illicit drugs?
In NSW in 2022–2023, the average age at which people first:
- smoked a full cigarette was 16.8 years
- used an e‑cigarette was 29.3 years
- tried drinking alcohol was 17.4 years
- tried an illicit drug excluding non‑medical use of pharmaceuticals was 19.0 years
- used a pharmaceutical for non‑medical purposes was 25.9* years.
* Estimate has a margin of error of 1.5 to 2.5 years.
None of these ages were substantially different to 2019.
How many people experienced harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs?
Between 2019 and 2022–2023, there was a decrease in the proportion of people in NSW who experienced verbal abuse from someone under the influence of illicit drugs, from 6.9% to 5.6%. Meanwhile, an increase occurred in experiences of physical abuse from someone under the influence of alcohol, from 4.6% to 5.7% (Table 2).
Table 2: Experiences of harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past 12 months in NSW, people aged 14 and over, 2022–2023
Harm | Alcohol(a) | Illicit drugs(b) |
|---|---|---|
Verbally abused | 16.8% | 5.6% |
Physically abused | 5.7% | 2.0% |
Put in fear | 11.1% | 5.1% |
Any incident | 20% | 8.0% |
(a) Response to the question “In the last 12 months, did any person under the influence of or affected by alcohol…?”
(b) Response to the question “In the last 12 months, did any person under the influence of or affected by illicit drugs…?”
Source: NDSHS 2022–2023, Tables 9b.25 and 9b.49.
How has support for harm-minimisation measures changed?
The National Drug Strategy Household Survey asks people whether they would support or oppose a variety of policy options related to reducing the harms associated with excessive alcohol consumption, tobacco use, e‑cigarette use, and illicit drug use. This section summarises the largest changes between 2019 and 2022–2023 in NSW.
Support for banning all additives (such as flavouring) in tobacco products increased between 2019 (75%) and 2022–2023 (78%), and so did support for making it harder to buy tobacco in shops (from 62% to 65%).
Support for all e‑cigarette related measures increased between 2019 and 2022–2023, with the largest increase occurring for strengthening restrictions on the advertising and promotion of electronic cigarettes/vapes (from 68% to 82%).
In contrast to tobacco and e‑cigarette policies, support for alcohol-related policies declined between 2019 and 2022–2023 in NSW. The biggest declines occurred in raising the legal drinking age (from 39% to 33%) and strict monitoring of late-night premises (from 67% to 61%).
Support for allowing people to test their drugs at designated sites (drug checking services) increased substantially between 2019 (57%) and 2022–2023 (65%) in NSW, and for the first time a majority of people supported supervised drug consumption facilities/rooms (55%, up from 49% in 2019).
New policy questions included in 2022–2023 showed mixed levels of support in NSW:
- Banning the advertising of tobacco products on social media was supported by 81% of people.
- Banning the sale of tobacco products in places where people consume alcohol was supported by 54% of people.
- Banning all additives (such as flavouring) in e‑cigarettes was supported by 78% of people.
- Limiting alcohol advertising online and on social media was supported by 68% of people.
- Restrictions on where zero-alcohol products with an alcohol brand can be displayed and sold in stores was supported by 36% of people.
In 2022–2023
-
Smoking
1 in 13 people in Victoria smoked tobacco daily (7.6%).
-
Vaping
1 in 14 people in Victoria were current users of e cigarettes (7.0%).
-
Risky drinking
1 in 4 people in Victoria consumed alcohol at levels that put their health at risk (26%).
-
Illicit drugs
1 in 6 people in Victoria had used an illicit drug in the previous 12 months (17.6%).
How many people smoke tobacco?
The proportion of people who smoked tobacco daily in Victoria dropped from 10.2% to 7.6% between 2019 and 2022–2023, marking the lowest level recorded since 2001 when 19.2% of people smoked daily. This means about 400,000 people smoked daily in 2022–2023, down from 600,000 in 2019.
Due to a sizeable decline in smoking among people in their 50s (from 14.4% to 10.0%), people in their 40s were the most likely to smoke daily in 2022–2023 in Victoria at 11.7%.
How many people use e‑cigarettes?
Around 1 in 5 people (18.9%) in Victoria had used electronic cigarettes and vapes (‘e‑cigarettes’) at least once in their lifetime in 2022–2023, up from 11.7% in 2019. There was also an increase in the proportion of people currently using e‑cigarettes (using them daily, weekly, monthly, or less often than monthly) from 2.4% in 2019 to 7.0% in 2022–2023. This means around 400,000 people were currently using e‑cigarettes in 2022–2023, quadruple the number doing so in 2019 (100,000).
People aged 18 to 24 were the most likely to be currently using e‑cigarettes, at 19.9%, reflecting the national trend.
How many people drink alcohol?
In Victoria, about 3 in 4 (76%) people had consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months. Fewer than 1 in 20 people (4.0%) drank alcohol daily, while more than 1 in 3 (36%) consumed alcohol at least weekly but not every day. Between 2019 and 2022–2023, the proportion of people in Victoria who drank alcohol monthly (but not as often as weekly) declined from 22% to 18.7%, while the proportion drinking less often than monthly increased from 15.1% to 17.2%).
Most people in Victoria drank alcohol at levels that did not put their health at risk, with around 1 in 4 people (26%) doing so in 2022–2023. There were no notable changes between 2019 and 2022–2023 in the proportions of people drinking more than 10 standard drinks per week on average (21% in 2022–2023) or drinking more than 4 standard drinks in a single day at least once a month (20%).
People in their 50s were less likely to drink more than 10 standard drinks per week on average in 2022–2023 than in 2019, dropping from 28% to 19.4%.
How has illicit drug use changed?
More than 1 in 6 (17.6%) people in Victoria had used an illicit drug in the previous 12 months in 2022–2023. This was similar to 2019, when 17.1% of people had done so. However, the use of hallucinogens increased between 2019 (2.0%) and 2022–2023 (3.2%).
While cannabis has remained the most commonly used illicit drug in Victoria, and cocaine has remained the second-most commonly used, the relative rates of use of other commonly used illicit drugs changed since 2019 (Table 3).
Table 3: Top 5 illicit drugs used in the previous 12 months in Victoria, people aged 14 and over, 2019 and 2022–2023
No. | 2019 | 2022–2023 |
|---|---|---|
1 | Cannabis (11.5%) | Cannabis (10.2%) |
2 | Cocaine (5.2%) | Cocaine (5.3%) |
3 | Ecstasy(a) (3.7%) | Hallucinogens (3.2%) |
4 | Pain-relievers and opioids(b) (2.6%) | Ecstasy(a) (2.9%) |
5 | Tranquillisers/sleeping pills(b) (2.4%) | Ketamine (2.6%) |
(a) Declines in ecstasy are likely to be temporary. See this report for more information.
(b) For non‑medical purposes.
Note: Results exclude methamphetamine and amphetamine (1.4% in 2022–2023) and non‑medical use of pharmaceutical stimulants (2.4% in 2022–2023), as use of these drugs was not collected in 2019.
Source: NDSHS 2022–2023, Table 9b.32.
Recent use of several illicit drugs was higher in Victoria than the rest of Australia:
- Ecstasy (2.9%)
- Methamphetamine and amphetamine (1.4%)
- Hallucinogens (3.2%)
- Inhalants (2.0%)
- Ketamine (2.6%)
- Non‑medical use of tranquillisers/sleeping pills (2.3%).
Recent use of cannabis was lower in Victoria than the rest of Australia (10.2% compared with 11.5%).
At what age did people first smoke tobacco, use e‑cigarettes, consume alcohol, or use illicit drugs?
In Victoria in 2022–2023, the average age at which people first:
- smoked a full cigarette was 16.9 years
- used an e‑cigarette was 28.5 years
- tried drinking alcohol was 17.3 years
- tried an illicit drug excluding non‑medical use of pharmaceuticals was 19.6 years
- used a pharmaceutical for non‑medical purposes was 25.0 years.
None of these ages were substantially different to 2019.
How many people experienced harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs?
The proportions of people in Victoria who experienced harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past 12 months are shown in Table 4.
Table 4: Experiences of harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past 12 months in Victoria, people aged 14 and over, 2022–2023
Harm | Alcohol(a) | Illicit drugs(b) |
|---|---|---|
Verbally abused | 16.5% | 8.4% |
Physically abused | 4.1% | 2.2% |
Put in fear | 12.6% | 8.1% |
Any incident | 21% | 12.0% |
(a) Response to the question “In the last 12 months, did any person under the influence of or affected by alcohol…?”.
(b) Response to the question “In the last 12 months, did any person under the influence of or affected by illicit drugs…?”.
Source: NDSHS 2022–2023, Tables 9b.25 and 9b.49.
How has support for harm-minimisation measures changed?
The National Drug Strategy Household Survey asks people whether they would support or oppose a variety of policy options related to reducing the harms associated with excessive alcohol consumption, tobacco use, e‑cigarette use, and illicit drug use. This section summarises the largest changes between 2019 and 2022–2023 in Victoria.
Support for making it harder to buy tobacco in shops increased between 2019 (61%) and 2022–2023 (66%), and so did support for banning additives (such as flavouring) in tobacco products (from 75% to 79%).
Support for all e‑cigarette related measures increased between 2019 and 2022–2023, with the largest increase occurring for strengthening restrictions on the advertising and promotion of electronic cigarettes/vapes (from 69% to 83%).
In contrast to tobacco and e‑cigarette policies, support for alcohol-related policies declined between 2019 and 2022–2023 in Victoria. The biggest declines occurred in the strict monitoring of late-night premises (from 68% to 62%) and raising the legal drinking age (from 36% to 31%).
Support for allowing people to test their drugs at designated sites (drug checking services) increased substantially between 2019 (57%) and 2022–2023 (63%) in Victoria, and for the first time a majority of people supported supervised drug consumption facilities/rooms (52%, up from 48% in 2019).
New policy questions included in 2022–2023 showed mixed levels of support in Victoria:
- Banning the advertising of tobacco products on social media was supported by 83% of people.
- Banning the sale of tobacco products in places where people consume alcohol was supported by 54% of people.
- Banning all additives (such as flavouring) in ecigarettes was supported by 78% of people.
- Limiting alcohol advertising online and on social media was supported by 70% of people.
- Restrictions on where zero-alcohol products with an alcohol brand can be displayed and sold in stores was supported by 38% of people.
In 2022–2023
-
Smoking
1 in 10 people in Queensland smoked tobacco daily (10.5%).
-
Vaping
1 in 15 people in Queensland were current users of e cigarettes (6.9%).
-
Risky drinking
1 in 3 people in Queensland consumed alcohol at levels that put their health at risk (33%).
-
Illicit drugs
1 in 5 people in Queensland had used an illicit drug in the previous 12 months (18.4%).
How many people smoke tobacco?
The proportion of people who smoked tobacco daily in Queensland dropped from 13.5% to 10.5% between 2019 and 2022–2023, marking the lowest level recorded since 2001 when 21% of people in Queensland smoked daily. This means about 500,000 people smoked daily in 2022–2023, down from 600,000 in 2019. This was driven by a decline in smoking among people in their 40s, from 19.5% in 2019 to 14.0% in 2022–2023.
The proportion of people who were currently smoking (smoking daily, at least weekly, or less often than weekly) in Queensland was higher than the rest of Australia (12.7% compared with 10.5%).
How many people use e‑cigarettes?
Around 1 in 5 people (21%) in Queensland had used electronic cigarettes and vapes (‘e‑cigarettes’) at least once in their lifetime in 2022–2023, up from 12.1% in 2019. There was also an increase in the proportion of people currently using e‑cigarettes (using them daily, weekly, monthly, or less often than monthly), from 2.9% in 2019 to 6.9% in 2022–2023. This means around 300,000 people in Queensland were currently using e‑cigarettes in 2022–2023, up from 100,000 persons in 2019.
People aged 18 to 24 were the most likely to be currently using e‑cigarettes, at 22%, reflecting the national trend.
How many people drink alcohol?
In Queensland, nearly 4 in 5 (79%) people had consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months, higher than the rest of Australia (77%). More than 1 in 3 people (37%) drank alcohol at least once a week (but not daily), while 6.4% of people consumed alcohol every day.
Most people in Queensland drank alcohol at levels that did not put their health at risk, with 1 in 3 (33%) doing so in 2022–2023. This did not represent a substantial change in risky drinking since 2019. There was a decline in the proportion of people consuming more than 4 standard drinks in a single day at least once a month, from 29% in 2019 to 26% in 2022–2023, while the proportion of people drinking more than 10 standard drinks per week on average remained stable (27% in 2022–2023).
How has illicit drug use changed?
Around 1 in 5 people (18.4%) in Queensland had used an illicit drug in the past 12 months in 2022–2023. This was not a substantial change from 2019, when 16.9% of people had done so. The recent use of each type of illicit drug also remained stable between 2019 and 2022–2023 in Queensland.
Cannabis was the most commonly used illicit drug in both 2019 and 2022–2023, followed by cocaine and the non‑medical use of pain-relievers and opioids. The other most commonly used illicit drugs used in the previous 12 months have changed since 2019 (Table 5).
Table 5: Top 5 illicit drugs used in the previous 12 months in Queensland, people aged 14 and over, 2019 and 2022–2023
No. | 2019 | 2022–2023 |
|---|---|---|
1 | Cannabis (12.8%) | Cannabis (13.0%) |
2 | Cocaine (3.6%) | Cocaine (4.0%) |
3 | Pain-relievers and opioids(b) (2.7%) | Pain-relievers and opioids(b) (2.1%) |
4 | Ecstasy(a) (2.6%) | Hallucinogens (1.8%) |
5 | Tranquillisers/sleeping pills(b) (1.5%) | Ecstasy(a) (1.6%) |
(a) Declines in ecstasy are likely to be temporary. See this report for more information.
(b) For non‑medical purposes.
Note: Results exclude methamphetamine and amphetamine (0.6% in 2022–2023) and non‑medical use of pharmaceutical stimulants (1.6% in 2022–2023), as use of these drugs was not collected in 2019.
Source: NDSHS 2022–2023, Table 9b.32.
Recent use of several illicit drugs was lower in Queensland than the rest of Australia:
- methamphetamine and amphetamine (0.6% compared with 1.0%)
- hallucinogens (1.8% compared with 2.4%)
- inhalants (0.6% compared with 1.4%)
- ketamine (0.7% compared with 1.4%)
- and tranquillisers/sleeping pills (1.0% compared with 1.6%)
Recent use of cannabis was higher in Queensland than the rest of Australia (13.0% compared with 11.5%).
At what age did people first smoke tobacco, use e‑cigarettes, consume alcohol, or use illicit drugs?
In Queensland in 2022–2023, the average age at which people first:
- smoked a full cigarette was 16.3 years
- used an e‑cigarette was 29.1 years, down from 31.6* in 2019
- tried drinking alcohol was 16.9 years
- tried an illicit drug excluding non‑medical use of pharmaceuticals was 19.0 years
- used a pharmaceutical for non‑medical purposes was 25.1* years.
* Estimate has a margin of error of 1.5 to 2.5 years.
How many people experienced harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs?
The proportions of people in Queensland who experienced harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past 12 months are shown in Table 6.
Table 6: Experiences of harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past 12 months in Queensland, people aged 14 and over, 2022–2023
Harm | Alcohol(a) | Illicit drugs(b) |
|---|---|---|
Verbally abused | 17.3% | 7.3% |
Physically abused | 5.7% | 2.2% |
Put in fear | 11.3% | 6.1% |
Any incident | 20% | 9.1% |
(a) Response to the question “In the last 12 months, did any person under the influence of or affected by alcohol…?”
(b) Response to the question “In the last 12 months, did any person under the influence of or affected by illicit drugs…?”
Source: NDSHS 2022–2023, Tables 9b.25 and 9b.49.
How has support for harm-minimisation measures changed?
The National Drug Strategy Household Survey asks people whether they would support or oppose a variety of policy options related to reducing the harms associated with excessive alcohol consumption, tobacco use, e‑cigarette use, and illicit drug use. This section summarises the largest changes between 2019 and 2022–2023 in Queensland.
Support for making it harder to buy tobacco in shops increased between 2019 (59%) and 2022–2023 (63%), and so did support for banning additives (such as flavouring) in tobacco products (from 73% to 76%).
Support for all e‑cigarette related measures increased between 2019 and 2022–2023, with the largest increase occurring for strengthening restrictions on the advertising and promotion of electronic cigarettes/vapes (from 64% to 81%).
In contrast to tobacco and e‑cigarette policies, support for alcohol-related policies declined between 2019 and 2022–2023 in Queensland. The biggest declines occurred for raising the legal drinking age (from 35% to 28%) and restricting late night trading of alcohol (from 49% to 44%).
Support for allowing people to test their drugs at designated sites (drug checking services) increased substantially between 2019 (55%) and 2022–2023 (62%) in Queensland, and for the first time a majority of people supported supervised drug consumption facilities/rooms (51%, up from 43% in 2019).
New policy questions included in 2022–2023 showed mixed levels of support in Queensland:
- Banning the advertising of tobacco products on social media was supported by 78% of people.
- Banning the sale of tobacco products in places where people consume alcohol was supported by 50% of people.
- Banning all additives (such as flavouring) in e‑cigarettes was supported by 77% of people.
- Limiting alcohol advertising online and on social media was supported by 62% of people.
Restrictions on where zero-alcohol products with an alcohol brand can be displayed and sold in stores was supported by 32% of people.
In 2022–2023
-
Smoking
1 in 13 people in Western Australia smoked tobacco daily (7.7%).
-
Vaping
1 in 15 people in Western Australia were current users of e cigarettes (6.9%).
-
Risky drinking
1 in 3 people in Western Australia consumed alcohol at levels that put their health at risk (33%).
-
Illicit drugs
1 in 5 people in Western Australia had used an illicit drug in the previous 12 months (20%).
How many people smoke tobacco?
The proportion of people who smoked tobacco daily in Western Australia fell from 11.9% to 7.7% between 2019 and 2022–2023, marking the lowest level recorded since 2001 when 20% of people in Western Australia smoked daily. This means about 200,000 people smoked daily in 2022–2023, down from 300,000 in 2019.
The largest decline in daily smoking occurred among people aged 25–29, from 17.3% in 2019 to just *3.5% in 2022–2023, and the age group with the highest rate of daily smoking (people in their 50s) saw a decline from 21% to 11.1%.
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
How many people use e‑cigarettes?
Around 1 in 5 people (21%) in Western Australia had used electronic cigarettes and vapes (‘e‑cigarettes’) at least once in their lifetime in 2022–2023, up from 12.1% in 2019. There was also an increase in the proportion of people currently using e‑cigarettes (using them daily, weekly, monthly, or less often than monthly), from 3.2% in 2019 to 6.9% in 2022–2023. This means around 100,000 people in Western Australia were currently using e‑cigarettes in 2022–2023, up from 70,000 people in 2019.
People aged 18 to 24 were the most likely to currently be using e‑cigarettes, at 25%, reflecting the national trend.
How many people drink alcohol?
In Western Australia, over 3 in 4 (77%) people had consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months. Around 1 in 20 (5.3%) people drank alcohol every day, while over 1 in 3 (37%) consumed alcohol at least once a week but not every day.
Most people in Western Australia drank alcohol at levels that did not put their health at risk, with 1 in 3 people (33%) doing so. This was similar to the proportion doing so in 2019, and there were no changes in the proportion of people drinking more than 10 standard drinks per week on average (27% in 2022–2023) or consuming more than 4 standard drinks in a single day at least once a month (25%).
The proportion of those aged 25 to 29 who consumed more than 10 standard drinks per week on average almost halved over the same time period, from 29% in 2019 to *15.3% in 2022–2023.
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
How has illicit drug use changed?
1 in 5 people (20%) in Western Australia had used an illicit drug in the previous 12 months, an increase from 2019 when only 15.6% of people had done so. This was in part driven by an increase in the recent use of hallucinogens, which doubled between 2019 (*1.4%) and 2022–2023 (2.8%).
Cannabis has remained the most commonly used illicit drug in Western Australia, but the other commonly used types of illicit drugs used in the previous 12 months have changed since 2019 (Table 7).
Table 7: Top 5 illicit drugs used in the previous 12 months in Western Australia, people aged 14 and over, 2019 and 2022–2023
No. | 2019 | 2022–2023 |
|---|---|---|
1 | Cannabis (11.2%) | Cannabis (13.3%) |
2 | Pain-relievers and opioids(b) (3.0%) | Cocaine (3.2%) |
3 | Ecstasy(a) (2.9%) | Hallucinogens (2.8%) |
4 | Cocaine (2.4%) | Pain-relievers and opioids(b) (2.4%) |
5 | Tranquillisers/sleeping pills(b) (1.7%) | Ecstasy(a) (2.1%) |
(a) Declines in ecstasy are likely to be temporary. See this report for more information.
(b) For non‑medical purposes.
Note: Results exclude methamphetamine and amphetamine (0.8% in 2022–2023) and non‑medical use of pharmaceutical stimulants (3.8% in 2022–2023), as the use of these drugs was not collected in 2019.
Source: NDSHS 2022–2023, Table 9b.32.
Recent use of cocaine (3.2% compared with 4.5%) and ketamine (0.5% compared with 1.4%) was lower in Western Australia than the rest of Australia in 2022–2023, while non‑medical use of pharmaceutical stimulants was higher (3.8% compared with 2.1%).
At what age did people first smoke tobacco, use e‑cigarettes, consume alcohol, or use illicit drugs?
In Western Australia in 2022–2023, the average age at which people first:
- smoked a full cigarette was 16.1 years, down from 16.5 years in 2019
- used an e‑cigarette was 28.3* years, down from 32.3* years in 2019
- tried drinking alcohol was 17.0 years
- tried an illicit drug excluding non‑medical use of pharmaceuticals was 18.7 years
- used a pharmaceutical for non‑medical purposes was 26.5* years.
* Estimate has a margin of error of 1.5 to 2.5 years.
How many people experienced harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs?
The proportions of people in Western Australia who experienced harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past 12 months are shown in Table 8.
Table 8: Experiences of harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past 12 months in Western Australia, people aged 14 and over, 2022–2023
Harm | Alcohol(a) | Illicit drugs(b) |
|---|---|---|
Verbally abused | 21% | 9.8% |
Physically abused | 4.9% | 3.4% |
Put in fear | 13.5% | 8.1% |
Any incident | 24% | 12.6% |
(a) Response to the question “In the last 12 months, did any person under the influence of or affected by alcohol…?”
(b) Response to the question “In the last 12 months, did any person under the influence of or affected by illicit drugs…?”
Source: NDSHS 2022–2023, Tables 9b.25 and 9b.49.
How has support for harm-minimisation measures changed?
The National Drug Strategy Household Survey asks people whether they would support or oppose a variety of policy options related to reducing the harms associated with excessive alcohol consumption, tobacco use, e‑cigarette use, and illicit drug use. This section summarises the largest changes between 2019 and 2022–2023 in Western Australia.
Support for making it harder to buy tobacco in shops increased between 2019 (61%) and 2022–2023 (67%), and so did support for banning additives (such as flavouring) in tobacco products (from 73% to 79%).
Support for all e‑cigarette related measures increased between 2019 and 2022–2023, with the largest increase occurring for strengthening restrictions on the advertising and promotion of electronic cigarettes/vapes (from 65% to 80%).
In contrast to tobacco and e‑cigarette policies, support for alcohol-related policies declined between 2019 and 2022–2023 in Western Australia. The biggest declines occurred for raising the legal drinking age (from 41% to 34%) and more severe legal penalties for drink driving (from 86% to 81%).
Support for allowing people to test their drugs at designated sites (drug checking services) increased substantially between 2019 (55%) and 2022–2023 (66%) in Western Australia, and for the first time a majority of people supported supervised drug consumption facilities/rooms (53%, up from 44% in 2019).
New policy questions included in 2022–2023 showed mixed levels of support in Western Australia:
- Banning the advertising of tobacco products on social media was supported by 81% of people.
- Banning the sale of tobacco products in places where people consume alcohol was supported by 53% of people.
- Banning all additives (such as flavouring) in e‑cigarettes was supported by 77% of people.
- Limiting alcohol advertising online and on social media was supported by 67% of people.
- Restrictions on where zero-alcohol products with an alcohol brand can be displayed and sold in stores was supported by 34% of people.
In 2022–2023
-
Smoking
1 in 11 people in South Australia smoked tobacco daily (9.0%).
-
Vaping
1 in 20 people in South Australia were current users of e cigarettes (4.9%).
-
Risky drinking
1 in 3 people in South Australia consumed alcohol at levels that put their health at risk (32%).
-
Illicit drugs
1 in 6 people in South Australia had used an illicit drug in the previous 12 months (17.0%).
How many people smoke tobacco?
The proportion of people who smoked tobacco daily in South Australia dropped from 11.9% to 9.0% between 2019 and 2022–2023, marking the lowest level recorded since 2001 when 20% of people in South Australia smoked daily. This means about 100,000 people smoked daily in 2022–2023, down from 200,000 in 2019.
This decline was driven by a reduction in daily smoking among people in their 30s (from 12.2% to 7.4%) and 40s (from 18.5% to 10.5%).
How many people use e‑cigarettes?
Under 1 in 5 people (16.7%) in South Australia had used electronic cigarettes and vapes (‘e‑cigarettes’) at least once in their lifetime in 2022–2023, up from 12.4% in 2019. There was also an increase in the proportion of people currently using e‑cigarettes (using them daily, weekly, monthly, or less often than monthly), from 2.9% in 2019 to 4.9% in 2022–2023. This means around 70,000 people currently used e‑cigarettes in 2022–2023, up from 40,000 people in 2019.
People aged 18 to 24 were the most likely to currently be using e‑cigarettes, at 17.3%, reflecting the national trend.
How many people drink alcohol?
In South Australia, about 4 in 5 (80%) people had consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months, higher than the rest of Australia. Around 1 in 20 people (4.7%) drank alcohol every day, and more than 1 in 3 (37%) consumed alcohol at least once a week but not as often as daily.
Most people in South Australia drank alcohol at levels that did not put their health at risk, with around 1 in 3 (32%) doing so in 2022–2023. This means about 500,000 people drank alcohol at risky levels in South Australia in 2022–2023, the same as in 2019.
This was similar to the proportion of people drinking at risky levels in 2019, and there were no changes in the proportion of people drinking more than 10 standard drinks per week on average (25% in 2022–2023) or consuming more than 4 standard drinks in a single day at least once a month (25%).
How has illicit drug use changed?
Around 1 in 6 people (17.0%) in South Australia had used an illicit drug in the past 12 months in 2022–2023. This was not a substantial change from 2019, when 15.4% of people had done so. There was, however, a meaningful increase in the recent use of some illicit drugs between 2019 and 2022–2023:
- Use of cocaine increased from 2.5% to 4.1%.
- Use of hallucinogens increased from *0.7% to 2.1%.
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
While cannabis remained the most commonly used illicit drug in South Australia, the relative rates of use of other commonly used illicit drugs have changed since 2019 (Table 9).
Table 9: Top 5 illicit drugs used in the previous 12 months in South Australia, people aged 14 and over, 2019 and 2022–2023
No. | 2019 | 2022–2023 |
|---|---|---|
1 | Cannabis (10.6%) | Cannabis (11.1%) |
2 | Pain-relievers and opioids(a) (2.9%) | Cocaine (4.1%) |
3 | Cocaine (2.5%) | Hallucinogens (2.1%) |
4 | Inhalants (*1.3%) | Pain-relievers and opioids(a) (2.0%) |
5 | Tranquillisers/sleeping pills(a) (1.3%) | Tranquillisers/sleeping pills(a) (1.7%) |
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
(a) For non‑medical purposes.
Note: Results exclude methamphetamine and amphetamine (1.1% in 2022–2023) and non‑medical use of pharmaceutical stimulants (1.7% in 2022–2023), as use of these drugs was not collected in 2019.
Source: NDSHS 2022–2023, Table 9b.32.
Recent use of ketamine was lower in South Australia (0.7%) than the rest of Australia (1.4%) in 2022–2023.
At what age did people first smoke tobacco, use e‑cigarettes, consume alcohol, or use illicit drugs?
In South Australia in 2022–2023, the average age at which people first:
- smoked a full cigarette was 16.4 years
- used an e‑cigarette was 30.2* years, down from 33.7* years in 2019
- tried drinking alcohol was 17.1 years
- tried an illicit drug excluding non‑medical use of pharmaceuticals was 18.8 years
- used a pharmaceutical for non‑medical purposes was 27.3* years.
* Estimate has a margin of error of 1.5 to 2.5 years.
How many people experienced harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs?
Between 2019 and 2022–2023, there was an increase in the proportion of people in South Australia who experienced verbal abuse from someone under the influence of illicit drugs, from 7.0% to 9.3%. An increase also occurred for experiences of physical abuse from someone under the influence of alcohol, from 4.4% to 6.1% (Table 10).
Table 10: Experiences of harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past 12 months in South Australia, people aged 14 and over, 2022–2023
Harm | Alcohol(a) | Illicit drugs(b) |
|---|---|---|
Verbally abused | 19.5% | 9.3% |
Physically abused | 6.1% | 2.5% |
Put in fear | 12.8% | 6.2% |
Any incident | 23% | 11.5% |
(a) Response to the question “In the last 12 months, did any person under the influence of or affected by alcohol…?”
(b) Response to the question “In the last 12 months, did any person under the influence of or affected by illicit drugs…?”
Source: NDSHS 2022–2023, Tables 9b.25 and 9b.49.
How has support for harm-minimisation measures changed?
The National Drug Strategy Household Survey asks people whether they would support or oppose a variety of policy options related to reducing the harms associated with excessive alcohol consumption, tobacco use, e‑cigarette use, and illicit drug use. This section summarises the largest changes between 2019 and 2022–2023 in South Australia.
Support for making it harder to buy tobacco in shops increased between 2019 (61%) and 2022–2023 (65%), and so did support for banning additives (such as flavouring) in tobacco products (from 76% to 80%).
Support for all e‑cigarette related measures increased between 2019 and 2022–2023, with the largest increase occurring for strengthening restrictions on the advertising and promotion of electronic cigarettes/vapes (from 67% to 82%).
In contrast to tobacco and e‑cigarette policies, support for alcohol-related policies declined between 2019 and 2022–2023 in South Australia. The biggest declines occurred for raising the legal drinking age (from 38% to 31%) and restricting late night trading of alcohol (from 50% to 43%).
Support for allowing people to test their drugs at designated sites (drug checking services) increased substantially between 2019 (58%) and 2022–2023 (66%) in South Australia, and for the first time a majority of people supported supervised drug consumption facilities/rooms (51%, up from 46% in 2019).
New policy questions included in 2022–2023 showed mixed levels of support in South Australia:
- Banning the advertising of tobacco products on social media was supported by 82% of people.
- Banning the sale of tobacco products in places where people consume alcohol was supported by 53% of people.
- Banning all additives (such as flavouring) in e‑cigarettes was supported by 79% of people.
- Limiting alcohol advertising online and on social media was supported by 64% of people.
- Restrictions on where zero-alcohol products with an alcohol brand can be displayed and sold in stores was supported by 32% of people.
In 2022–2023
-
Smoking
1 in 9 people in Tasmania smoked tobacco daily (11.3%).
-
Vaping
1 in 27 people in Tasmania were current users of e cigarettes (3.7%).
-
Risky drinking
1 in 3 people in Tasmania consumed alcohol at levels that put their health at risk (34%).
-
Illicit drugs
1 in 6 people in Tasmania had used an illicit drug in the previous 12 months (16.4%).
How many people smoke tobacco?
The proportion of people who smoked tobacco daily in Tasmania has nearly halved between 2001 and 2022–2023, from 21% to 11.3%. This means about 50,000 people smoked daily in 2022–2023, down from about 60,000 in 2019. The proportion of daily smoking remained stable between 2019 and 2022–2023 for most age groups, but a reduction occurred among people in their 40s from 18.0% to *10.0%.
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
The proportion of people who were currently smoking (smoking daily, at least weekly, or less often than weekly) in Tasmania was higher than the rest of Australia (16.1% compared with 10.5%).
How many people use e‑cigarettes?
Under 1 in 5 people (15.0%) in Tasmania had used electronic cigarettes and vapes (‘e‑cigarettes’) at least once in their lifetime in 2022–2023, up from 10.3% in 2019. Only 3.7% of people in Tasmania reported currently using e‑cigarettes (using them daily, weekly, monthly, or less often than monthly) in 2022–2023, or around 20,000 people. This was lower than the rest of Australia.
People aged 18 to 24 were the most likely to be currently using e‑cigarettes, at *14.6%, reflecting the national trend.
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
How many people drink alcohol?
In Tasmania, over 4 in 5 (85%) people had consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months, higher than people living elsewhere in Australia. Almost 2 in 5 (39%) consumed alcohol at least once a week but not daily, while 7.2% did drink alcohol every day.
Most people in Tasmania drank alcohol at levels that did not put their health at risk, with around 1 in 3 (34%) doing so in 2022–2023. This was similar to the proportion doing so in 2019, and there were no changes in the proportions of people drinking more than 10 standard drinks per week on average (29% in 2022–2023) or consuming more than 4 standard drinks in a single day at least once a month (23%).
While there was no change in risky drinking behaviours in Tasmania between 2019 and 2022–2023, there were changes in some age groups. People aged 60 and over were more likely to drink alcohol at risky levels (35%) in 2022–2023 than they were in 2019 (23%). This was driven by an increase in the proportion of people aged 60 and over who consumed more than 10 standard drinks per week on average, from 21% to 33%.
In contrast, there was a decline in the proportion of people in their 50s who consumed more than 4 standard drinks in a single day at least once a month, from 35% in 2019 to 17.2% in 2022–2023.
How has illicit drug use changed?
About 1 in 6 people (16.4%) in Tasmania had used an illicit drug in the previous 12 months (‘recent use’). This was not a substantial change from 2019, when 16.5% of people had done so. However, the recent use of hallucinogens did increase in Tasmania, from *0.8% in 2019 to *3.0% in 2022–2023.
While cannabis has remained the most commonly used illicit drug in Tasmania, the relative rates of use of the other commonly used illicit drugs have changed since 2019 (Table 11).
Table 11: Top 5 illicit drugs used in the previous 12 months in Tasmania, people aged 14 and over, 2019 and 2022–2023
No. | 2019 | 2022–2023 |
|---|---|---|
1 | Cannabis (12.6%) | Cannabis (11.5%) |
2 | Pain-relievers and opioids(b) (2.5%) | Hallucinogens (*3.0%) |
3 | Ecstasy(a) (*2.4%) | Ecstasy(a) (*1.8%) |
4 | Cocaine (*1.6%) | Tranquillisers/sleeping pills(b) (*1.8%) |
5 | Tranquillisers/sleeping pills(b) (*1.3%) | Pain-relievers and opioids(b) (*1.6%) |
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
(a) Declines in ecstasy are likely to be temporary. See this report for more information.
(b) For non‑medical purposes.
Note: Results exclude methamphetamine and amphetamine (2.2% in 2022–2023) and non‑medical use of pharmaceutical stimulants (1.2% in 2022–2023), as use of these drugs was not collected in 2019.
Source: NDSHS 2022–2023, Table 9b.32.
Recent use of cocaine in Tasmania (1.3%) was lower than the rest of Australia (4.5%) in 2022–2023.
At what age did people first smoke tobacco, use e‑cigarettes, consume alcohol, or use illicit drugs?
In Tasmania in 2022–2023, the average age at which people first:
- smoked a full cigarette was 16.5 years
- used an e‑cigarette was 27.1* years
- tried drinking alcohol was 16.7 years
- tried an illicit drug excluding non‑medical use of pharmaceuticals was 19.7 years
- tried any illicit drug, including a pharmaceutical for non‑medical purposes, was 20.0 years.
* Estimate has a margin of error of 1.5 to 2.5 years.
None of these ages were substantially different to 2019.
How many people experienced harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs?
The proportions of people in Tasmania who experienced harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past 12 months are shown in Table 12.
Table 12: Experiences of harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past 12 months in Tasmania, people aged 14 and over, 2022–2023
Harm | Alcohol(a) | Illicit drugs(b) |
|---|---|---|
Verbally abused | 19.2% | 7.2% |
Physically abused | 7.1% | *3.6% |
Put in fear | 13.3% | 7.3% |
Any incident | 23% | 9.8% |
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
(a) Response to the question “In the last 12 months, did any person under the influence of or affected by alcohol…?”
(b) Response to the question “In the last 12 months, did any person under the influence of or affected by illicit drugs…?”
Source: NDSHS 2022–2023, Tables 9b.25 and 9b.49.
How has support for harm-minimisation measures changed?
The National Drug Strategy Household Survey asks people whether they would support or oppose a variety of policy options related to reducing the harms associated with excessive alcohol consumption, tobacco use, e‑cigarette use, and illicit drug use. This section summarises the largest changes between 2019 and 2022–2023 in Tasmania.
Support for tobacco-related policy measures did not substantially change between 2019 and 2022–2023 in Tasmania. The most supported measures were banning the advertising of tobacco products on social media (79%) and banning additives (such as flavourings) in tobacco products (77%).
Support for all e‑cigarette related measures increased between 2019 and 2022–2023, with the largest increase occurring for strengthening restrictions on the advertising and promotion of electronic cigarettes/vapes (from 66% to 80%).
In contrast to tobacco and e‑cigarette policies, support for alcohol-related policies declined between 2019 and 2022–2023 in Tasmania. The biggest declines occurred for strict monitoring of late-night licensed premises (from 71% to 63%) and raising the legal drinking age (from 36% to 29%).
Support for allowing people to test their drugs at designated sites (drug checking services) increased substantially between 2019 (55%) and 2022–2023 (67%) in Tasmania, and for the first time a majority of people supported supervised drug consumption facilities/rooms (55%, up from 44% in 2019).
New policy questions included in 2022–2023 showed mixed levels of support in Tasmania:
- Banning the advertising of tobacco products on social media was supported by 79% of people.
- Banning the sale of tobacco products in places where people consume alcohol was supported by 55% of people.
- Banning all additives (such as flavouring) in e‑cigarettes was supported by 77% of people.
- Limiting alcohol advertising online and on social media was supported by 63% of people.
- Restrictions on where zero-alcohol products with an alcohol brand can be displayed and sold in stores was supported by 32% of people.
In 2022–2023
-
Smoking
1 in 21 people in the Australian Capital Territory smoked tobacco daily (4.8%).
-
Vaping
1 in 18 people in the Australian Capital Territory were current users of e cigarettes (5.7%).
-
Risky drinking
1 in 4 people in the Australian Capital Territory consumed alcohol at levels that put their health at risk (27%).
-
Illicit drugs
1 in 7 people in the Australian Capital Territory had used an illicit drug in the previous 12 months (14.1%).
How many people smoke tobacco?
The proportion of people who smoked tobacco daily in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) dropped from 8.2% to 4.8% between 2019 and 2022–2023, marking the lowest level recorded since 2001 when 18.4% of people in the ACT smoked daily. This means about 20,000 people smoked daily in 2022–2023, down from 30,000 in 2019. This decline in daily smoking was driven by people in their 30s, falling from 11.6% in 2019 to just *2.7% in 2022–2023.
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
The proportion of people who were currently smoking (smoking daily, at least weekly, or less often than weekly) in the ACT was lower than the rest of Australia (7.4% compared with 10.5%).
How many people use e‑cigarettes?
Almost 1 in 5 people (18.0%) in the ACT had used electronic cigarettes and vapes (‘e‑cigarettes’) at least once in their lifetime in 2022–2023, up from 11.3% in 2019. There was also an increase in the proportion of people currently using e‑cigarettes (using them daily, weekly, monthly, or less often than monthly), from *2.0% in 2019 to 5.7% in 2022–2023. This means around 20,000 people were currently using e‑cigarettes in 2022–2023.
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
People aged 18 to 24 were the most likely to currently be using e‑cigarettes, at 20%, reflecting the national trend.
How many people drink alcohol?
In the ACT, about 4 in 5 (80%) people had consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months. More than 1 in 3 (35%) drank alcohol at least once a week but not every day, while 4.6% had consumed alcohol every day.
Most people in the ACT drank alcohol at levels that did not put their health at risk, with around 1 in 4 (27%) doing so in 2022–2023. This was similar to the proportion doing so in 2019, and there were no changes in the proportion of people drinking more than 10 standard drinks per week on average (22% in 2022–2023) or consuming more than 4 standard drinks in a single day at least once a month (21%).
The proportion of people in their 40s who consumed more than 4 standard drinks in a single day at least once a month increased between 2019 and 2022–2023, from 15.5% to 32%.
How has illicit drug use changed?
On 31 January 2020, the ACT Government decriminalised possession of some amounts of cannabis, use of cannabis in the home, and growing cannabis plants, for people aged 18 and over. It is illegal to give or sell cannabis to another person, and to use cannabis in a public place (ACT Government 2023). Results from the 2022–2023 National Drug Strategy Household Survey reflect use of cannabis after this decriminalisation came into effect. In 2022–2023, about 1 in 7 (14.1%) people in the ACT had used an illicit drug in the previous 12 months. This was not a substantial change from 2019, when 14.6% of people had done so. The recent use of each type of illicit drug also remained stable between 2019 and 2022–2023.
While cannabis has remained the most commonly used illicit drug in the ACT, followed by cocaine, the relative rates of use of other commonly used illicit drugs have changed since 2019 (Table 13).
Table 13: Top 5 illicit drugs used in the previous 12 months in the ACT, people aged 14 and over, 2019 and 2022–2023
No. | 2019 | 2022–2023 |
|---|---|---|
1 | Cannabis (10.5%) | Cannabis (8.7%) |
2 | Cocaine (3.5%) | Cocaine (*2.5%) |
3 | Ecstasy(a) (*2.3%) | Inhalants (*1.8%) |
4 | Inhalants (*1.7%) | Hallucinogens (1.6%) |
5 | Pain-relievers and opioids(b) (*1.5%) | Tranquillisers/sleeping pills(b) (*1.2%) |
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
(a) Declines in ecstasy are likely to be temporary. See this report for more information.
(b) For non‑medical purposes.
Note: Results exclude methamphetamine and amphetamine (1.4% in 2022–2023) and non‑medical use of pharmaceutical stimulants (1.5% in 2022–2023), as use of these drugs was not collected in 2019.
Source: NDSHS 2022–2023, Table 9b.32.
People in the ACT were less likely to have used an illicit drug in the previous 12 months (14.1%) than the rest of Australia (17.9%) in 2022–2023. This was also true for several illicit drugs:
- cannabis (8.7% compared with 11.5%)
- ecstasy (0.9% compared with 2.1%)
- cocaine (2.5% compared with 4.5%)
- ketamine (0.6% compared with 1.4%)
- pain-relievers and opioids (1.2% compared with 2.2%)
At what age did people first smoke tobacco, use e‑cigarettes, consume alcohol, or use illicit drugs?
In the ACT in 2022–2023, the average age at which people first:
- smoked a full cigarette was 17.1 years
- used an e‑cigarette was 25.6* years, down from 29.5* years in 2019
- tried drinking alcohol was 17.3 years
- tried an illicit drug excluding non‑medical use of pharmaceuticals was 19.8 years
- used any illicit drug, including pharmaceuticals for non‑medical purposes, was 20.0 years.
* Estimate has a margin of error of 1.5 to 2.5 years.
How many people experienced harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs?
Between 2019 and 2022–2023, there was an increase in the proportion of people who experienced physical abuse from someone under the influence of alcohol, from *2.0% to 4.5% (Table 14).
Table 14: Experiences of harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past 12 months in the ACT, people aged 14 and over, 2022–2023
Harm | Alcohol(a) | Illicit drugs(b) |
|---|---|---|
Verbally abused | 17.6% | 6.8% |
Physically abused | 4.5% | *1.1% |
Put in fear | 13.7% | 6.0% |
Any incident | 23% | 9.2% |
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
(a) Response to the question “In the last 12 months, did any person under the influence of or affected by alcohol…?”
(b) Response to the question “In the last 12 months, did any person under the influence of or affected by illicit drugs…?”
Source: NDSHS 2022–2023, Tables 9b.25 and 9b.49.
How has support for harm-minimisation measures changed?
The National Drug Strategy Household Survey asks people whether they would support or oppose a variety of policy options related to reducing the harms associated with excessive alcohol consumption, tobacco use, e‑cigarette use, and illicit drug use. This section summarises the largest changes between 2019 and 2022–2023 in the ACT.
Support for tobacco-related policy measures did not change substantially between 2019 and 2022–2023 in the ACT. The most supported measures were banning the advertising of tobacco products on social media (84%) and banning additives (such as flavourings) in tobacco products (78%).
Support for all e‑cigarette related measures increased between 2019 and 2022–2023, with the largest increase occurring for strengthening restrictions on the advertising and promotion of electronic cigarettes/vapes (from 70% to 84%).
In contrast to tobacco and e‑cigarette policies, support for alcohol-related policies declined between 2019 and 2022–2023 in the ACT. The biggest declines occurred for stricter enforcement of the law against supplying minors (from 78% to 71%) and more severe legal penalties for drink driving (from 85% to 81%).
Support for allowing people to test their drugs at designated sites (drug checking services) increased substantially between 2019 (70%) and 2022–2023 (78%) in the ACT, as well as support for supervised drug consumption facilities/rooms (65%, up from 55% in 2019).
New policy questions included in 2022–2023 showed mixed levels of support in the ACT:
- Banning the advertising of tobacco products on social media was supported by 84% of people.
- Banning the sale of tobacco products in places where people consume alcohol was supported by 56% of people.
- Banning all additives (such as flavouring) in e‑cigarettes was supported by 76% of people.
- Limiting alcohol advertising online and on social media was supported by 73% of people.
- Restrictions on where zero-alcohol products with an alcohol brand can be displayed and sold in stores was supported by 39% of people.
In 2022–2023
-
Smoking
1 in 8 people in the Northern Territory smoked tobacco daily (13.1%).
-
Vaping
1 in 15 people in the Northern Territory were current users of e cigarettes (6.6%).
-
Risky drinking
2 in 5 people in the Northern Territory consumed alcohol at levels that put their health at risk (40%).
-
Illicit drugs
1 in 4 people in the Northern Territory had used an illicit drug in the previous 12 months (25%).
How many people smoke tobacco?
The proportion of people who smoked tobacco daily in the Northern Territory (NT) more than halved between 2001 and 2022–2023, from 28% to 13.1%. About 30,000 people smoked daily in 2022–2023, the same number as in 2019 in the NT. Positively, there was a decline in smoking among people in their 40s, from 22% in 2019 to *11.1% in 2022–2023.
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
The proportion of people who were currently smoking (smoking daily, at least weekly, or less often than weekly) in the NT was higher than the rest of Australia (16.2% compared with 10.5%).
How many people use e‑cigarettes?
1 in 4 people (25%) in the Northern Territory had used electronic cigarettes and vapes (‘e‑cigarettes’) at least once in their lifetime in 2022–2023, up from 15.3% in 2019. There was also an increase in the proportion of people currently using e‑cigarettes (using them daily, weekly, monthly, or less often than monthly), from *2.2% in 2019 to 6.6% in 2022–2023. This means around 10,000 people were currently using e‑cigarettes in 2022–2023 in the NT.
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
People aged 18 to 24 were the most likely to be currently using e‑cigarettes, at *11.6%, reflecting the national trend.
How many people drink alcohol?
On 1 October 2019, the Liquor Act 2019 (the Act) came into effect, including measures such as a minimum floor price (introduced in October 2018) to minimise harms associated with the consumption of liquor, in the Northern Territory (NT Government 2024). In October 2023, the Northern Territory Government completed a three-year review of the Act, determining that the policy objectives of the Act remain appropriate.
Changes to alcohol restrictions in communities in the NT came into effect on 16 February 2023, with a new interim alcohol protected area opt-out model (NT Government 2023). Data from the 2022–2023 National Drug Strategy Household Survey collected in the NT excluding Darwin were completed before these changes came into effect.
In the Northern Territory, more than 3 in 4 (77%) people had consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months. Almost 2 in 5 (38%) drank alcohol at least once a week but not as often as daily, while 7.2% did consume alcohol every day.
Most people in the NT drank alcohol at levels that did not put their health at risk, with 2 in 5 (40%) having done so in 2022–2023. This was similar to 2019, when 41% of people in the NT consumed alcohol at risky levels, and there were no changes in the proportion of people drinking more than 10 standard drinks per week on average (33% in 2022–2023) or consuming more than 4 standard drinks in a single day at least once a month (34%).
There was, however, a large reduction in the proportion of people aged 18 to 24 who drank more than 4 standard drinks in a single day at least once a month between 2019 (69%) and 2022–2023 (41%).
How has illicit drug use changed?
One in 4 (25%) people in the Northern Territory had used an illicit drug in the past 12 months in 2022–2023, an increase from 2019 when close to 1 in 5 (19.6%) had done so. Non‑medical use of pain-relievers and opioids in the NT also increased between 2019 (*1.9%) and 2022–2023 (4.0%).
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
While cannabis has remained the most commonly used illicit drug in the NT between 2019 and 2022–2023, the relative rates of use of other commonly used illicit drugs have changed since 2019 (Table 15).
Table 15: Top 5 illicit drugs used in the previous 12 months in the NT, people aged 14 and over, 2019 and 2022–2023
No. | 2019 | 2022–2023 |
|---|---|---|
1 | Cannabis (15.9%) | Cannabis (18.9%) |
2 | Cocaine (3.1%) | Hallucinogens (*4.3%) |
3 | Ecstasy(a) (*3.0%) | Cocaine (4.2%) |
4 | Hallucinogens (2.1%) | Pain-relievers and opioids(b) (4.0%) |
5 | Pain-relievers and opioids(b) (*1.9%) | Ecstasy(a) (*2.2%) |
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
(a) Declines in ecstasy are likely to be temporary. See this report for more information.
(b) For non‑medical purposes.
Note: Results exclude methamphetamine and amphetamine (1.8% in 2022–2023) and non‑medical use of pharmaceutical stimulants (2.1% in 2022–2023), as use of these drugs was not collected in 2019.
Source: NDSHS 2022–2023, Table 9b.32.
People in the NT were more likely to have used an illicit drug in the previous 12 months (25%) than the rest of Australia (17.9%) in 2022–2023. This was also true for several illicit drugs:
- Cannabis (18.9% compared with 11.5%).
- Pain-relievers and opioids (4.0% compared with 2.2%).
In contrast, people in the Northern Territory were less likely to have used inhalants in the previous 12 months (0.7%) than the rest of Australia (1.4%) in 2022–2023.
At what age did people first smoke tobacco, use e‑cigarettes, consume alcohol, or use illicit drugs?
In the NT in 2022–2023, the average age at which people first:
- smoked a full cigarette was 16.4 years
- used an e‑cigarette was 28.1* years
- tried drinking alcohol was 16.6 years
- tried an illicit drug excluding non‑medical use of pharmaceuticals was 18.0 years
- used a pharmaceutical for non‑medical purposes was 24.1* years.
* Estimate has a margin of error of 1.5 to 2.5 years.
None of these ages were substantially different to 2019.
How many people experienced harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs?
Between 2019 and 2022–2023, there was an increase in the proportion of people who experienced verbal abuse from someone under the influence of illicit drugs in the NT, from 8.5% to 13.1% (Table 16). Increases also occurred for people experiencing physical abuse from someone under the influence of alcohol (from 8.1% to 12.3%) and being put in fear (from 17.0% to 22%).
Table 16: Experiences of harm from someone under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past 12 months in the NT, people aged 14 and over, 2022–2023
Harm | Alcohol(a) | Illicit drugs(b) |
|---|---|---|
Verbally abused | 32% | 13.1% |
Physically abused | 12.3% | *5.6% |
Put in fear | 22% | 9.8% |
Any incident | 37% | 15.8% |
* Estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be interpreted with caution.
(a) Response to the question “In the last 12 months, did any person under the influence of or affected by alcohol…?”
(b) Response to the question “In the last 12 months, did any person under the influence of or affected by illicit drugs…?”
Source: NDSHS 2022–2023, Tables 9b.25 and 9b.49.
How has support for harm-minimisation measures changed?
The National Drug Strategy Household Survey asks people whether they would support or oppose a variety of policy options related to reducing the harms associated with excessive alcohol consumption, tobacco use, e‑cigarette use, and illicit drug use. This section summarises the largest changes between 2019 and 2022–2023 in the NT.
Support for tobacco-related policy measures did not substantially change between 2019 and 2022–2023 in the NT. The most supported measures were banning the advertising of tobacco products on social media (74%) and banning additives (such as flavourings) in tobacco products (71%).
Support for all e‑cigarette related measures increased between 2019 and 2022–2023, with the largest increase occurring for strengthening restrictions on the advertising and promotion of electronic cigarettes/vapes (from 56% to 76%).
In contrast to tobacco and e‑cigarette policies, support for alcohol-related policies declined between 2019 and 2022–2023 in the NT. The biggest declines occurred for restricting late night trading of alcohol (from 51% to 43%) and strict monitoring of late-night licensed premises (from 71% to 63%).
Support for allowing people to test their drugs at designated sites (drug checking services) increased substantially between 2019 (54%) and 2022–2023 (67%) in the NT, and for the first time a majority of people supported supervised drug consumption facilities/rooms (56%, up from 46% in 2019).
New policy questions included in 2022–2023 showed mixed levels of support in the NT:
- Banning the advertising of tobacco products on social media was supported by 74% of people.
- Banning the sale of tobacco products in places where people consume alcohol was supported by 46% of people.
- Banning all additives (such as flavouring) in e‑cigarettes was supported by 71% of people.
- Limiting alcohol advertising online and on social media was supported by 58% of people.
- Restrictions on where zero-alcohol products with an alcohol brand can be displayed and sold in stores was supported by 33% of people.
ACT Government (2023) Cannabis, ACT Government website, accessed 9 January 2024.
NT Government (2023) Changes to alcohol restrictions in NT communities, NT Government website, accessed 9 January 2024.
NT Government (2024) Alcohol Policy, NT Government website, accessed 9 January 2024.