Illicit drug use in regional Australia, 1988-1998

The number of people who use drugs in both metropolitan and regional Australia has increased over the last decade. In previous research it was shown that between 1985 and 1995, rates of drug use in regional Australia were at levels which were observed in metropolitan Australia between one and eight years earlier. Concerns have been raised that the rate of illicit drug use in regional Australia is approaching or perhaps exceeding those observed in metropolitan areas. This paper draws on the five National Drug Strategy Household Surveys conducted between 1988 and 1998 to explore these concerns.