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Comparison of Substance Use in Australia and the United States

The NHSDA Report:  Comparison of Substance Use in Australia and the United States

 

Highlights:

  • Between 1998 and 2001, past year use of "any illicit drug" decreased in Australia while past year use of any illicit drug increased between 2000 and 2001 in the United States.
  • Among teenagers aged 14 to 19, girls in both Australia and the United States had comparable or higher rates than the boys in their country for past year use of alcohol, amphetamines, and cocaine.  The teenaged boys had higher rates than the girls for past year marijuana use.
  • The legal drinking age in Australia is age 18 compared to age 21 in the United States; however, the average age of first use of alcohol was earlier for U.S. drinkers (age 15.9 years) than for Australian drinkers (age 17.1 years).

 

Reports on Youth

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This Short Report, The NHSDA Report:  Comparison of Substance Use in Australia and the United States, is based on SAMHSA's  National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), conducted by the Office of Applied Studies (OAS) in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  SAMHSA's National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) is the primary source of information on the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of drug and alcohol use and abuse in the general U.S. civilian non institutionalized population, aged 12 and older.   The NHSDA also provides estimates for drug use by state.

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SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.

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