Drug usage: key facts

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 10:00

Dependant heroin users (NSW): more than 50,000

Opiate (eg, heroin) overdose deaths:

Australia-wide in 1992: 327 (aged 15-44).

Australia-wide in 1998: 700+ (aged 15-44)

Percentage of drug users with hep C:50-70%

Cost of drug consumption, treatment, prevention, health services, law enforcement and lost workplace productivity in Australia annually:

Tobacco: $12.7 billion

alcohol $4.5 billion

illegal drugs $1.7 billion

Prevalence of drug use in Australia (by people aged 14+):

Alcohol: 90%

Tobacco: 49%

Tranquillisers: 3%

Amphetamines: 9%

Ecstasy: 6%

Cocaine: 4.4%

Heroin 1.6%

Source: 2001 Household survey

From Green Left Weekly, July 30, 2003.

Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.

From GLW issue 547

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In these days of growing media concentration, Green Left Weekly is a proudly independent voice committed to human and civil rights, global peace and environmental sustainability, democracy and equality. By printing the news and ideas the mainstream media won't, Green Left Weekly exposes the lies and distortions of the power brokers and helps us to better understand the world around us.

Green Left Weekly, launched in 1990 by progressive activists to present the views excluded by the big business media, is now Australia's leading source of local, national and international news, analysis, and discussion and debate to strengthen the anti-capitalist movements.