WA DRUG USE RATE HIGH

WA Has The Second Highest Rate Of Illegal Drug Use In Australia

National research figures to be released today reveal more than one in five
West Australians - 22 per cent - used illegal drugs in the past year. Only
the Northern Territory with 29.2 per cent had a higher rate. The national
average was 16.9 per cent.

WA also emerged as having the biggest population of intravenous drug users,
19,300, in the nation. Among this group, injection of the designer drug
ecstasy, 20 per cent, was found to be almost as prevalent as heroin, 21 per
cent. The most commonly injected drug group was amphetamines.

In comparison, New South Wales had 18,000 intravenous drug users and
Victoria 17,700.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report confirmed that
marijuana was the State's top illegal drug, with 31.9 per cent, or almost
one in three, of young West Australians admitting smoking it in the past year.

The State average, based on people aged 14 and older, was 17.5 per cent -
significantly higher than the national average of 12.9 per cent.

Use of other drugs, including ecstasy and amphetamines, also was more
prevalent in WA than most other States and Territories.

Almost 6 per cent of West Australians admitted to using amphetamines and 4
per cent had used ecstasy and other designer drugs in the past year.

WA also recorded high rates of alcohol abuse, with almost 11 per cent of
the population sinking more than 29 standard drinks every week. Despite the
State's poor record on illicit drug and alcohol abuse, West Australians
appear to have greater success in giving up cigarettes.

WA's smoking rate, 20.1 per cent, was higher than the national average of
19.5 per cent but lower than that recorded in South Australia, Queensland,
Tasmania and the Northern Territory. Curtin University's National Research
Drug Institute director Tim Stockwell said yesterday WA's high rate of
illicit drug use was relatively recent but heavy drinking had existed for
decades.

He said the popularity of amphetamines, usually administered intravenously,
had risen in the wake of the so-called heroin drought.

The prevalence of amphetamine laboratories in WA probably was also a factor.

There was a clear north-south divide in alcohol consumption, with
significantly higher rates found in northern Australia.

This was probably due to hotter weather, a younger population and the
presence of more fly in, fly out mine workers with few recreational
options. Northern Australia also had more Aboriginal communities, which
often recorded high rates of excessive drinking.