Whatever Happened to Marijuana? Patterns of Marijuana Use in Australia, 1985–1988

Abstract

Although marijuana remains the most widely used illicit drug in the world, the rise of cocaine has eclipsed it as the main focus of scholarly research. It remains unclear, outside of the United States, to what extent marijuana use has declined in the late 1980s, and whether the risk for particular age and sex groups has changed. In this paper, national population survey data collected in 1985 and 1988 are used to examine changing patterns of marijuana use in Australia, with particular reference to adolescents. The results show that while adult experience of marijuana has changed little, female adolescent experience increased significantly during the period, while male adolescent experience declined. There is a strong association between marijuana use and other drug use, notably illicit drug. Tobacco use remains an important association with marijuana among adolescents.