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[NEWS] Illegal use of prescription drugs on the rise

poledriver

poledriver

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Jul 21, 2005
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The Australian Institute of Criminology is concerned about the rising illegal market for prescription drugs.

New figures show nearly one in five people detained in police watch-houses in the past 12 months used prescription drugs for non-medical purposes.

In the first survey of its kind, the AIC interviewed nearly 1,000 detainees in capital city watch-houses and found an increasing illegal market for prescription drugs.

Almost 20 per cent reported using pharmaceutical drugs for non-medical purposes in the past 12 months - nearly five times higher than the general Australian population.

The drugs were obtained either by faking symptoms to health professionals, consulting multiple doctors, or theft.

Benzodiazepines and opioids were the most commonly used drugs.

The watch-houses at Footscray in Melbourne, Kings Cross in Sydney, Adelaide city, and Brisbane city had the highest use, and it was higher among women, younger people, the unemployed and other drug users.​


here
 
higher among women...

that might shed some light on issues raised by footscrazy... Seems to directly show the opposite trend to which has been put forward in that thread...

However this is among drug users and the already effected. I can see that among female drug users the urge to continue with drug use is probably higher than a single male of the same age in a similar situation
 
This is just for prescription drugs though, which (also as discussed in another thread) females can obtain more easily. And perhaps some are more inclined to use pharmaceuticals than street drugs because of perceived safety? Purely speculative
 
Divine Moments said:
This is just for prescription drugs though, which (also as discussed in another thread) females can obtain more easily. And perhaps some are more inclined to use pharmaceuticals than street drugs because of perceived safety? Purely speculative
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I'd concur with your statement.

I would also like to add that having lived in the US, the American citizens are far more 'accepting' of Phams due to availability and safety......interesting how Australian's are, seemingly, moving down that path.
 
I would also like to add that having lived in the US, the American citizens are far more 'accepting' of Phams due to availability and safety......interesting how Australian's are, seemingly, moving down that path.
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I think we absolutely are. Just compare how someone reacts if told you take oxy to how they react if told you take heroin... In the minds of the general public and most of the drug using population and even the medical profession, there's a huge distinction, with pharmaceuticals being considered much 'cleaner' than street opioids.

Though I'm surprised dexamphetamine abuse hasn't really taken off the way adderall/dexedrine have in America (despite the photo in the article). It's certainly recreational and has the obvious appeal to the highschool/university crowd, the only reason I can think is that perhaps doctors are tighter with prescriptions and the large 5mg tablets are impractical for other ROA's, more or less restricting the user to oral use.
 
Dexies and ritalin are harder to get because hardly anyone thats an adult suffers from ADHD ?

would mean you would have to get them from a child/teenager or someone that is a guardian of those.

Another thing i have noticed is that there seems to be ridiculous amounts of seroquel being prescribed to alot of people for very vague reasons which i think is very worrying.
 
Another thing i have noticed is that there seems to be ridiculous amounts of seroquel being prescribed to alot of people for very vague reasons which i think is very worrying.
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yeah it's heavy duty stuff, not nice at all, seeing it prescribed for run of the mill sleep trouble is a little worrying.
 
I think in general psychostimulants like dexies and ritalin are prescribed less liberally in Australia than America. They certainly do get abused here, it's just harder to get a prescription than the more frequently abused pharms and less people have access to a supplier (in my experience)
 
Yeah they're around (more so ritalin), but there isn't really a market for them the way there is for benzos or painkillers.
 
I've hardly ever seen scripts for dexamphetamine, and only a few for methylphenidate. They are always PBS scripts as well; no private ones.

As for women and drug use... I have noticed a lot of middle aged women tend to buy a lot of OTC codeine, especially the combinations with doxylamine (Dolased, Mersyndol). They buy a lot of it as well.
 
Divine Moments said:
I think in general psychostimulants like dexies and ritalin are prescribed less liberally in Australia than America. They certainly do get abused here, it's just harder to get a prescription than the more frequently abused pharms and less people have access to a supplier (in my experience)
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Yeah. I think in all states of Australia a psychiatrist has to be the one prescribing the dex/ritalin where in the united states any GP is authorized to do that. I believe GP's can "co-prescribe" here after x amount of time.

The way we do it here is better I reckon. The last thing you'd want is those meds prescribed to kids if not needed, some of the things I've heard GPs say over the years have made me worry about them prescribing anti-d's and the like.

If I were wanting to take some drugs for fun times (theoretically ;)) I'd rather buy prescription stuff so that I can be more sure of what I'm getting, the fact that it's made in a clean lab and comes in reliable dose form is bonus. I think the reasons why the general public find prescription abuse more acceptable is because they think it's a completely different kind of substance.
 
Females have a higher chances of getting prescribed something than males and there are alot of mothers out there on the doll not working so Im assuming they get bored easily and tend to use drugs to kill boredom/depression etc.
 
Crankinit said:
yeah it's heavy duty stuff, not nice at all, seeing it prescribed for run of the mill sleep trouble is a little worrying.
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yeah totally, i have been offered quetiapine it by various doctors and psychitrists, for anxiety, depression, insomnia, and as a mood stabiliser.
scary shit.
 
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Prescription drug abuse is generally the same between men and women, except among 12 to 17 year olds. In this age group, research conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that females are more likely to use psychotherapeutic drugs for non-medical purposes. Research has also shown that women in general are more likely to use narcotic pain relievers and tranquilizers for non-medical purposes.

I also read somewhere that females have a better chance of getting something prescribed.

http://www.prescription-drug-abuse.org/

Just dont have time to find more info on it atm
 
^ sweet, wheres the research on single mothers on the dole abusing prescription drugs?

just kidding. i just dont like sexism. end of discussion.
 
I've been on benzos for a few weeks now and my friends (predominatly girls) absolutely love them. If they want to go party they'll want a clon and have a couple drinks and get a great buzz.

This 18-21 year old age bracket. I think its much safer than the dodgey "ectasy pills" going around and it's a cheap night out. Couple drinks, a benzo is a fun night.
 
Where eactly are these benzo'd 21 yr olds drinking? For um.... research purposes of course. ;)
 
brighton said:
just kidding. i just dont like sexism. end of discussion.
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Fair enough but you should probably target the doctors who are judging people based on sex.


I might actually give this a test out, go into the same doctor as my girlfriend a week apart with pretty much the same story.
 
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