YOUNG WOMEN FALL PREY TO DRUG USE

USE of all drugs except tobacco has increased in Australia, with more than
3 million people using illicit drugs last year.

First results from the most comprehensive survey conducted in Australia of
legal and illicit drug use shows a rise in the past three years in the
number of young women using drugs.

While women are less likely than men to find drug use acceptable, the
report shows that rates of alcohol, marijuana and other illicit drug use
among 14- to 19-year-old girls was fast approaching that of boys the same age.

For marijuana use, the proportion of teenage girls increased from 20 per
cent in 1995 to 34 per cent in 1998.

David Crosbie, Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia chief
executive, said the trend reflected social changes in which young women had
more disposable income and independence. "We should have seen the writing
on the wall and tried to do more to address alcohol and tobacco use. If we
had done that, we might have been able to reduce young women's progression
to illicit drugs," he said.

The report released today reveals a shift in attitudes. The proportion who
think marijuana, cannabis or cocaine are primarily associated with the
"drug problem" has decreased, yet significantly more people equate heroin
and amphetamine use with the problem.

Bill Stronach, Australian Drug Foundation chief executive officer, said the
change reflected an over-emphasis on heroin, and how we responded to heroin
in the past few years.

Alcohol and tobacco are the most commonly used drugs in Australia. But,
while tobacco use declined slightly from 27 per cent in 1995 to 26 per cent
in 1998, use of all other drugs rose.

Support for measures to reduce the harms of alcohol use generally decreased
between 1995 and 1998, even though it caused a higher proportion of deaths,
injuries and violence than illicit drugs.

"While there has been a lot of attention on illicit drugs, and that has
been very positive, along the way we have forgotten or ignored or allowed
to slip off the agenda the issue of alcohol, which is still the drug with
the most impact on our society," Mr Crosbie said.

The report, compiled by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and
part of the National Drug Strategy, is based on interviews with more than
10,000 Australians over 14. It shows most people do not want illicit drugs
legalised, and believe the majority of spending on cocaine and heroin
should go towards law enforcement.

More than half surveyed supported harm minimisation measures for heroin use.