The use of illicit drugs within the community is causing an alarming detrimental effect to the people within the community, both the drug users and their friends and family. Stated within this essay is an insight into some of the issues which occur a s a result of individuals becoming addicted to the use of illegal substances.
Cannabis and methamphetamine are the top two mainly used drugs in the Australian population. Methamphetamine being estimated to have been used by 9.1% of the population and Cannabis being estimated to have been used by 11.3% of the population within the preceding 12 months. On the topic of Cannabis, it is mostly used by males between the ages of 20-29 years of age and has been scientifically proven to have serious health risks when used. If you are a cannabis user you will most certainly be diagnosed with mental diseases such as depression which does not just affect you as the user, it affects your close friends and family. Although schizophrenia is a side effect of the use of cannabis, it only has additional occurrences, other than another side effect of cannabis called dependence. Dependence is a psychological mishap where you believe you need the illicit drug to survive or to make it through a stressful day. A population based study conducted in 1997 indicated that one in three people who use cannabis in the preceding 12 months either abused or were dependant on the drug. With an alarming increase of cannabis users in the community, there has been an unsettling increase of treatment provision for cannabis dependence. Cannabis also has damaging health effects. Evidence has shown that cannabis smoke is carcinogenic and will raise your risk of being diagnosed with cancer.
Although Cannabis is one of the most widely used drugs in Australia, it is closely followed by another illicit drug, Methamphetamine. It is used by 9.1% of the Australian population and has similar detrimental physical and mental effects on the human