Drug use among a sample of juvenile detainees (2003)

The issue of juvenile drug use and crime is of interest to a wide section of society. This paper examines the drug-taking patterns of a group of juveniles who were detained by police and interviewed as part of the Drug Use Monitoring Australia (DUMA) project. Most juveniles (around two-thirds) also gave a urine sample that was analysed for six classes of drugs. This paper reports on the 493 juveniles whose details are in the DUMA database. For this group of juveniles, drug use is prevalent. Three-quarters of the juveniles reported using at least one illicit drug at some time in their lives, 46 per cent had used two or more drugs- most frequently cannabis and amphetamines. Over half (57 per cent) had used illicit drugs in the past 30 days. The average age of initiation for cannabis use was about 13 years. In addition, female juvenile detainees were more likely than male counterparts to test positive to heroin, amphetamines or cocaine. Few juvenile detainees (13 per cent) reported accessing treatment. While a note of caution should be made because the sample is not representative of the general juvenile offending population, the findings highlight the need for continued commitment to early prevention and intervention strategies. Adam Graycar Director Drug use presents a challenge to most societies and is one of the major social issues that confronts Australia in the 21st century. Drug use among juveniles is critically important, as those who use drugs at an early age are more likely to continue alcohol and drug use in later life, to be associated with delinquent peers, and more likely to participate in deviant activities than those who do not use drugs (Zhang, Wieczorek & Weite 1997). It is associated with many other problems in their lives. Not least, it increases the risks of blood-borne diseases (such as AIDS and hepatitis B and C), suicide, and psychological as well as physical dependence (Putnins 2001). In Australia there has been relatively little empirical work on juveniles and drug use (for some exceptions see Lennings & Pritchard 1999; Copeland & Howard 2001). Much of our knowledge is based on overseas research (see for example Killias & Ribeaud 1999) or derives from research on adult offenders and their drug use patterns (see Makkai 2002). This lack of research is surprising given the policy focus in recent years on early intervention and prevention agendas. One of the aims of the Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) project is to provide aggregated data on drug use among police detainees on key policy areas for government. Given the strong association with heroin and property offending (Makkai 2002), providing data on patterns of use among juveniles is important for those who deal with young offenders and those who make strategic policy decisions about resource allocations. This paper, which analyses some patterns of drug use, age at first drug use, the association between drug use and offending, and other characteristics of juvenile arrestees, is based upon data collected as part of the DUMA project. The paper concludes with consideration of some policy issues. Data Collection The methodology of the DUMA data collection has been discussed in detail elsewhere (Makkai 2000; Makkai & McGregor 2003). Only a brief description is presented here. The DUMA project collects information from police detainees and is conducted quarterly by trained interviewers. Data is collected at Bankstown and Parramatta police stations (in Sydney, NSW), Southport watchhouse (Gold Coast, Qld) and Brisbane City watchhouse (Qld), East Perth watchhouse (Perth, WA), Elizabeth police station (in SA) and Adelaide watchhouse1 (also in SA). Detainees are asked to take part in a structured interview and to supply a urine sample that is screened for specific drugs; namely cannabis, opiates, cocaine, methadone, amphetamines and benzodiazepines. Detainees are assured that their participation is voluntary and confidential. …