Often these substances are far stronger than manufactured drugs. The dosage is difficult to determine and the effects can be frightening. More importantly many trees and plants look very similar so the wrong plant could be chosen and something highly poisonous could be ingested. Approximately 25,000 people die in Australia each year from drug-related causes. Sixteen per cent of the deaths were alcohol-related.
Smoking is the largest single preventable cause of death and disease in Australia.
Many people ask why we focus so much attention on these deaths when they number so few compared to the legal drugs. Although alcohol and tobacco cause more deaths within Australia, it is important to examine the average years of life lost for each death. If you die as a result of smoking tobacco, you will lose 5 years of your life. Alcohol will cause a loss of 15 years. Although legal drugs take many more Australians' lives, it is mostly young people who die after using illicit drugs.