Barriers and Facilitators to Cannabis Treatment. NDARS / Australia 2008

Introduction
Cannabis is the least disapproved of, easiest to obtain, and most widely used illicit drug in Australia.1 According to the 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS), approximately one in three Australians has used cannabis at some stage in his or her lifetime.2 While remaining high in comparison to other illicit substances, the percentage of people using cannabis during the previous 12 months fell significantly from 11.3% in 2004 to 9.1% in 2007.1,2 The 2007 NDSHS data showed that males were more likely than females to have ever used or have recently used cannabis, and those in the 20-29 year old age group were the most likely to have used it in the past year.2 The prevalence of cannabis use is well documented; however, it is equally important to identify frequency of use in the population. The data from the 2004 NDSHS show that although the majority of cannabis use is experimental or intermittent, around 16% of recent users reported using cannabis on a daily basis, and 23% at least once per week.2 It is this subset of frequent users that is more likely to encounter potential physical and mental health impacts from frequent use.

Gates_et_al.__Barriers_and_Facilitators_to_Cannabis_Treatment.__NDARS_Australia.__2008.pdf