Cannabis Use and Dependence in Australia (2013 National Drug Strategy Household Survey)

The 2013 National Drug Strategy Household Survey reported that around one in 10 Australians (10.2%) aged >13 years used cannabis in the previous year, and more than one-third (35%) had tried it. Among recent cannabis users, 12.8% are daily users. The age group with the highest prevalence of recent cannabis use are those aged 20–29 years, with 24.7% of males reporting use.
While cannabis is mostly used experimentally and occasionally, approximately 6% of all Australians will meet the criteria for cannabis dependence in their lifetime, and 1% in the past 12 months. The rates of meeting the criteria for cannabis dependence among those who used it at least five times in the previous year has increased to 14.3%. Current cannabis use disorders are more common among males and younger users. Those who used cannabis before 17 years of age were found to be 18 times more likely to develop cannabis dependence by 30 years of age than their peers who did not use cannabis.