Drug information
Drugs at a glance
This page contains information about drugs at a glance including problems and prevalence.
Alcohol
Alcohol is a licit drug that is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant. Cultural norms and social practices sanction its consumption, and its production contributes significantly to Australia' gross national product (GNP).
Amphetamines
Amphetamines are a closely related family of drugs with psychostimulant properties. The term 'psychostimulant' describes a diverse range of naturally occurring and synthetically produced drugs. Psychostimulants are also known as Amphetamine Type Stimulants (ATSs).
Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepenes (BZD) are minor tranquillisers widely used in clinical practice for sedation and relief of anxiety. They are also widely used for illicit or non-prescribed purposes.
Cannabis
Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in Australia. While most people who use cannabis do not experience problems, it is the most common illicit drug dependency among adults, with approximately 300,000 Australians suffering from a current cannabis use disorder.
Cocaine
Cocaine is a stimulant derived from the South American coca plant. It is imported in the form of a salt, cocaine hydrochloride, a white odourless crystalline powder with a bitter taste. Cocaine base can be extracted from the powder to form rocks or crystals known as 'freebase' or 'crack' that are smoked and produce strong subjective effects almost immediately.
Ecstasy & party drugs
Ecstasy is the street name given to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), which is generally classed as a stimulant with mild hallucinogenic properties. However, other drugs are sold as ecstasy, and ecstasy tablets often contain a range of drugs (including amphetamine, various amphetamine derivatives, caffeine, aspirin, paracetamol, or ketamine).
Heroin & other opiates
Opiod drugs mainly act on the opioid receptor system to produce a range of effects, which may be considered therapeutic or adverse. Opioids affect the nervous, gastrointestinal, endocrine and other physical systems.
Tobacco
Tobacco smoking causes an estimated 19,000 deaths and up to 10% of hospital admissions in those aged 35 years and over each year in Australia (Ridolfo & Stevenson, 2001). Lifelong smokers have a 50% chance of dying from a tobacco-related disease with half these deaths occurring prematurely (Doll et al., 1994).
Volatile substances
Volatile Substances are central nervous system (CNS) depressants and are chemical compounds that rapidly change from a liquid, or semisolid state to vapour when exposed to air.
Other drugs
There are some substances not covered in other chapters that are used in non-medical contexts. These drugs do not share a common pharmacology or pattern of effects and are used for different purposes in a variety of contexts. They include hallucinogens, 'party drugs', anabolic steroids, over the counter drugs.