The Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) has released the results of a survey of Queensland households about illicit drug use.
The survey, Illicit drug use in Queensland: survey of households 2002–05, involved gathering and analysing the views of over 13 000 people throughout the state about their use of cannabis, amphetamines, heroin, ecstasy, hallucinogens and sleeping pills/tranquillisers for non-medical purposes. Data were collected from people 18 years and older who lived in a private dwelling.
CMC Director of Research and Prevention Ms Susan Johnson says the survey aimed to gather information on patterns of illicit drug use - age of first users, the frequency of illicit drug use, when illicit drugs were last used, the perceived health risks associated with illicit drug use and the perceived ease of obtaining illicit drugs - across Queenslanders from various backgrounds and localities.
‘Understanding the nature of illicit drug use can help decision-makers in government, especially law enforcement and health agencies, formulate effective illicit drug policy initiatives at both state and local level,’ Ms Johnson said.
‘To develop this understanding, the CMC employs a broad drug use monitoring strategy using information from a range of different sources.’
‘The information on the general population presented in this report is viewed in combination with our own strategic illicit drug market assessments and data collected via other illicit drug research projects.’
‘These projects include collaborative research studies on illicit drug use among watch-house detainees (Drug Use Monitoring in Australia project led by the Australian Institute of Criminology); people presenting at hospital emergency departments (conducted jointly with QADREC); and, patterns of illicit drug use among regular amphetamine users (conducted jointly with Queensland Heath).’
‘Each new wave of survey data builds up an increasingly valuable source of information for decision-makers to use,’ Ms Johnson said.
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