Drugs and drugs coverage.

I'm starting to get really annoyed with the bru-ha-ha on drugs.

Not because I think it's a minor issue, not because I don't think it should be discussed/reported.

But because the way it is being dealt with in the public sphere is just hopeless.

Channel Seven has proven it really has eradicated 'Journalism' from it's news service - never mind the blatant ethical issues, what a real Journalist would have done with that information (after establishing that it was confidential and should not be made public) is follow up, conduct a serious investigative report and try to actually nut out what was going on. But no, DRUGS and CELEBRITY make great headlines, so why bother developing quality material under it?

And that's pretty much how the whole thing has panned out for a couple of years now. There's an awful lot of pontificating, very little credibility and almost no clear facts.

So, to get things rolling and simply because I hate the lack of information, here's a useful reality check which I think could do with maximum exposure -

Young Victorians and drug and alcohol use, 2002

The Victorian Youth Alcohol and Drug Survey in 2003 reported the following statistics after surveying 3,084 young people aged 16–24.

Alcohol

96% of males had tried alcohol at least once and 91% had consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months.

96% of females had ever tried alcohol and 92% had consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months.

Of respondents who had drunk alcohol in the previous 12 months, 54% of males and 55% of females perceived themselves to be social drinkers.

Illicit Drugs

The most commonly reported reason for trying illicit drugs was curiosity (69%), followed by a friend using or offering a drug (38%).

Of those respondents who had not tried any illicit drugs, the most commonly reported reason for not trying was worry about health problems (39%), followed by not being interested (37%).

Cannabis

57% of males had used cannabis at least once and 37% had used cannabis in the previous 12 months.

49% of females had used cannabis at least once and 27% had used cannabis in the previous 12 months.

Amphetamines

17% of males had tried amphetamines at least once and 11% had used them in the previous 12 months.

14% of females had tried amphetamines at least once and 9% had used them in the previous 12 months.

Ecstasy

21% of males had tried ecstasy and 15% had used it in the previous 12 months.

18% of females had tried ecstasy and 12% had used it in the previous 12 months.

Inhalants

5% of male respondents had tried inhalants.

3% of female respondents had tried inhalants.

Socio-economic status

The usage patterns of selected drugs were found to be similar across all 4 quartiles of relative socio-economic disadvantage.

Source: Premier’s Drug Prevention Council 2003, Victorian Youth Alcohol and Drug Survey, Melbourne, p.3 [viewed 30/11/2006].