NCJ Number
143839
Journal
Contemporary Drug Problems Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: (Summer 1992) Pages: 351-385
Date Published
1992
Length
35 pages
Annotation
The drug problem in Australia, as viewed in public debate, can be divided into issues pertaining to the health- related costs of drug use to society and the relationship between drug offenses and other crimes.
Abstract
This article describes the patterns of drug use involving alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs, and the patterns of drug arrests in Australia. The data show considerable annual fluctuations in illicit drug use, which seems to have peaked in the early 1980's. However, many regions that have low rates of illicit drug use have very high rates of alcohol consumption. Two recent surveys in Australia showed that the public remains less concerned about the war on drugs and more focused on licit, compared with illicit, drug consumption. This public opinion material is described by the author as very realistic, particularly in light of a study by two health economists, who reported that the costs from alcohol and tobacco use in terms of deaths and hospital/nursing home days far outweigh the costs of illicit drug use. Australian data have shown that the drug-crime relationship is tenuous as best for the majority of all drug users. Even with deficit users, criminal involvement is complex, although younger and more deficient users seem more prone to commit property crimes than other dependent drug users. 11 tables, 2 notes, and 28 references