New data shows how Australians are using legal and illicit drugs in their daily lives. Long-running campaigns to educate on the dangers of smoking appear to be paying off, with less than 1 in 10 people using tobacco daily. At the same time, vaping has shot up, and there’s little change in the use of alcohol and illicit drugs.  But as Matthew Ward Agius reports there are rising trends that have some experts increasing calls for harm minimisation.

Image: Unsplash: Tanya Myroniuk

Produced By: Matthew Ward Agius

Featured In Story: Emeritus Professor, Dr Alex Wodak, retired physician and former Director of the Alcohol and Drug Service, Steve Bright Senior Lecturer in addiction – Edith Cowan University , Robert Taylor – The Alcohol and Drug Foundation , , and

First aired on The Wire, Thursday 29th February 2024