A major Australian study has found that the use of e-cigarettes tripled between 2019 and 2023, while smoking rates fell.
Results from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s National Drug Strategy Household Survey for 2022-2023 shows the rapid rise in vaping, despite less than 10% of people smoking daily.
The survey, which looked at more than 21,000 Australians’ attitudes towards and use of tobacco, vaping, alcohol, and illicit drugs, found that smoking rates dropped by two-thirds from 1991 whereas e-cigarette and vaping rates rose from 2.5% in 2019 to 7%.
The proportion of Australians aged 14 and over who smoked daily has dropped by two-thirds from 24% in 1991 to 8.3% in 2022–2023. Meanwhile, the proportion who have never smoked continues to rise, up from 49% in 1991 to 65% in 2022–2023.
“Vaping was most common among people aged 18–24, with current use increasing substantially between 2019 (5.3%) and 2022–2023 (21%),” Dr Gabrielle Phillips, a spokesperson for the AIHW, said. “Half of people aged 18–24 reported having tried an e-cigarette in their lifetime.”
Alcohol remained the most used drug in Australia, with nearly three-quarters of people reporting they consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months.
Three in four Australians drank alcohol in the last 12 months, with close to one in three of those consuming it in ways that put their health at risk. Additionally, one in five, aged 14 or over, had used a drug illicitly, with close to half reporting using one over their lifetimes.
“Despite updated guidelines to reduce alcohol-related harms, the proportion of people in Australia who drink alcohol at risky levels has not changed since 2019,” Dr Philips said.
“Around one in three people drank alcohol in ways that put their health at risk in 2022–2023, similar to 2019, with males more likely to drink at risky levels than females in 2022–2023.”
In 2022–2023, around one in five, or 3.9 million people aged 14 and over recently (in the past 12 months) used a drug illicitly, with almost half having used one in their lifetime.
From 2019 to 2022–2023:
- Marijuana/cannabis, remained stable at 11.5%
- Cocaine remained relatively stable at 4.5%
- Hallucinogens, increased from 1.6% to 2.4%
- Ketamine, increased from 0.9% to 1.4%
- Ecstasy, decreased from 3.0% to 2.1%
- Non-medical use of pain-relievers and opioids, decreased from 2.7% to 2.2%
Dr Stephen Bright, a senior lecturer in addiction at ECU, said that the results showed several interesting trends in drug use, including that Australians continue to be one of the world’s highest consumers of cocaine.
“Yet there is little public awareness about the use of this drug since it is perceived to be an upper-class drug despite the significant impact that the production of the drug and trafficking has on the South American rainforest and indigenous communities,” he said.
“Use of psychedelic drugs has significantly increased making them the third most popular illegal drugs in Australia after cannabis and cocaine. The increased popularity of psychedelic drugs is likely due to increased media hype regarding the potential for these drugs to be used to treat mental health conditions.
“However, without the support of trained professionals, Australians who attempt to treat their mental illness using illicit drugs could unwittingly make their mental health worse or place themselves at risk of harm from underground psychedelic treatment providers.”