Do younger and older Australians use different forms of cocaine?

Among Australians who used cocaine in the past 12 months, the majority of people in all age groups reported that they mainly used powder.

100% of Australians aged 14-17 years who used cocaine in the past 12 months used cocaine powder as their main form, and 0% used another form of cocaine.

98% of Australians aged 18-24 years who used cocaine in the past 12 months used cocaine powder as their main form, and 2%** used another form of cocaine.

100% of Australians aged 25-29 years who used cocaine in the past 12 months used cocaine powder as their main form, and 0% used another form of cocaine.

100% of Australians aged 30-39 years who used cocaine in the past 12 months used cocaine powder as their main form, and 0.1%** used another form of cocaine.

100% of Australians aged 40-49 years who used cocaine in the past 12 months used cocaine powder as their main form, and 0.1%** used another form of cocaine.

99% of Australians aged 50+ years who used cocaine in the past 12 months used cocaine powder as their main form, and 1%** used another form of cocaine.

Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NCETA secondary analysis, 2021).

** Estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use.

Please note: No statistical significance testing has been conducted on these data. As a result, no inferences can be made about whether the reported proportions are significantly different from one another.

Percentages may not tally to 100% due to rounding.

Types of cocaine included in the ‘other’ category include crack cocaine (smokeable crystal) and other forms.