Cocaine
- General Cocaine Information
This section provides general information about cocaine use in Australia. It explains what cocaine is, how it is used, and the effects of use. Information in this section is sourced from a variety of websites. Please refer to specific FAQs for source information.
- Australians' Attitudes Towards Cocaine
This section provides an overview of Australians’ attitudes towards cocaine use and cocaine-related legislation. It draws on data from the 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2020). The NDSHS is a triennial general population survey of Australians' awareness, attitudes, and behaviours relating to alcohol and other drug use. It is the best data source available to provide a national population demographic profile of Australians’ attitudes towards cocaine use.
- Use Patterns
This section provides information about the ways in which Australians use cocaine. It addresses how much and how often Australians use cocaine, the most common types used, and methods and locations of use. The primary source of data used in this section is the 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2020). The NDSHS is a triennial general population survey of Australians' awareness, attitudes, and behaviours relating to alcohol and other drug use. It is the best data source available to provide a national population demographic profile of Australians’ cocaine use behaviours.
- Cocaine & Employment
This section provides information about cocaine use and employment. Differences in use patterns between employed and unemployed Australians, as well as those not in the labour force, are also examined. The primary source of data used in this section is the 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2020). The NDSHS is a triennial general population survey of Australians' awareness, attitudes and behaviours relating to alcohol and other drug use. It is the best data source available to provide a national population employment profile of Australians’ cocaine use.
- Cocaine & Health
This section provides information about the harms associated with cocaine use, and the impact of cocaine use on mental and physical health. Information in this section is sourced from a variety of resources and databases. Please refer to specific FAQs for source information.
- Cocaine & Crime
This section provides information about cocaine-related crime (including arrests and trafficking), as well as Australian legislation regarding cocaine use. The data source utilised in this section is the Australian Crime Commission's Illicit Drug Data Report 2019-20. This report contains illicit drug data collected annually by the Australian Crime Commission from state and territory police services, the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Customs and Border Protection Services, and forensic laboratories.
- Treatment
This section contains information about the provision of medical/psychological treatment for cocaine use. It covers episodes of professional treatment for cocaine-related problems, who is most likely to seek help, and changes in these patterns over time. The Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set 2019-20 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2021) is the source of data used in this section. It is the only Australian data source which provides a synthesis of state and territory data on publicly funded cocaine-related treatment.
- Cocaine & Young People
This section contains information about the cocaine use patterns of Australians who are under 18 years of age. Given the small proportion of Australian youth who use cocaine, there is little reliable and meaningful data about this population group available. As a result, this section presents only three FAQs, drawn from the 2017 Australian Secondary School Students’ Alcohol and Drug (ASSAD) Survey (Cancer Council Victoria, 2018).