Lee Milner and Kiah McGregor examine the use of cocaine among a group of individuals detained by police and interviewed for the AIC's Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program. The analysis shows that while most cocaine use occurs in DUMA's Sydney sites, use also occurs in other areas. Cocaine users are predominately multiple-drug users...

The NSW Youth Drug Court (YDC) pilot program is aimed at reducing offending and drug use amongst young people who have become entrenched in the criminal justice system. Many participants have a range of other difficulties including poor educational achievement, dysfunctional family backgrounds and psychological problems. The YDC attempts to address this wide range of...

Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) participants are asked to answer a questionnaire about their use of drugs, as well as to supply a urine sample. This sample is tested for the presence of illicit drugs and compared with the self-reported answers in the questionnaire. In this report Kiah McGregor and Toni Makkai consider possible...

Death from heroin overdose, in particular, rivals the road toll in destroying lives, especially among young Australians. This report is based on intensive fieldwork in three study areas: inner Melbourne (Fitzroy-Collingwood); Geelong and Sydney (Fairfield-Cabramatta). These areas have been carefully chosen to include an inner region of a capital city, a regional city and an...

Drawing on unpublished ABS data, Clive Hamilton concludes that nearly one third of adult Australians rely on medications, alcohol or illicit drugs for metnal well-being. The report shows that men are more likely to seek refuge in alcohol while women are more likely to turn to pills.