MORE TEEN GIRLS USE ILLICIT DRUGS

Twice as many teenage girls have experimented with cocaine and heroin
as boys, a national survey has found.

Some 2.5 per cent of females aged 14 to 19 had tried cocaine compared
with one per cent of males in the same age bracket.

The University of NSW's National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre
conducted the analysis.

The figures for heroin were similar at 2.3 per cent for girls compared
with 1.1 per cent for boys.

The figures were taken from a sample of teenagers in the Federal
Government's National Drug Strategy household survey. Young women
recorded higher rates of drug use in their lives across all illicit
substance types apart from cannabis which was almost even across the
sexes at 45 per cent.

Centre researcher Louisa Degenhardt said while the actual number of
girls experimenting was quite small only eight out of more than 800
had tried cocaine, and nine had tried heroin in the last year it was
the first time that girls had exceeded boys in surveys of drug
experimentation. "It suggests a change," Ms Degenhardt said.

"It indicates that a growing number of girls are having access to
drugs in younger age groups."

She said the figures could reflect changing attitudes towards drug use
among teenage girls as well as greater opportunities to use drugs.

It could also be because girls who traditionally associated with
slightly older males were being introduced to the drug by their partners.

Males in the 20 to 29 year age bracket use significantly more illegal
drugs than women of the same age.

The drugs studied in order of popularity were alcohol, tobacco,
cannabis, LSD, amphetamine, ecstasy, cocaine and heroin.

Results for use over the past year were different, but young women
still recorded higher usage for heroin and cocaine than males.

Centre information manager Paul Dillon said the study showed there was
need for greater public education targeting younger women to highlight
the dangers of these substances.

A spokesperson for Health Minister Craig Knowles said the Government
would look at the study while preparing the drug treatment services
plan arising from the recent Drug Summit.