Patterns of tobacco smoking among illicit drug users in Australia 2001–2010

Abstract

Introduction and Aims

Assessing the overlap between tobacco and marijuana: Trends in patterns of co-use of tobacco and marijuana in adults from 2003–2012

“…Data suggest a clear relationship between past month heavy or binge alcohol use or use of other illicit substances and co-use, even after adjusting for age. While prior studies have not assessed correlates of co-use among a nationally-representative population of adults, research has found alcohol, illicit drug use (including marijuana use) and tobacco to be related in both adults and adolescents (Fraser, Gartner, & Hall, 2014;Nelson, Van Ryzin, & Dishion, 2014;Tzilos, Reddy, Caviness, Anderson, & Stein, 2014). The relationship may be in part because of genetic factors that pre-dispose people to substance use or addiction (Agrawal et al, 2012;Young, Rhee, Stallings, Corley, & Hewitt, 2006), or it may be due to the social environments in which these substances are typically used.…”

Electronic Cigarettes: Awareness, Recent Use, and Attitudes Within a Sample of Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Australian Smokers

“…Rates of smoking are highest amongst people with the lowest level of income (25% -30%) 1 ; people with a mental illness (32%) 2 ; people with alcohol and other substance use disorders 3 ; people who are homeless (73%) 4 ; Indigenous people (31% -52%) [5][6][7] ; and prisoners (78% -84%) 8,9 . Individuals within these groups often experience multiple forms of disadvantage, for example, people who are homeless are more likely to experience mental illness 10 .…”

Psychological Aspects of Tobacco Control

“…Illicit drug users are another sub-population in which the prevalence of smoking has traditionally been high (Fraser, Gartner, & Hall, 2014). One explanation for this is through the Gateway Hypothesis.…”

“…First, "soft" substances may simply be more accessible (Degenhardt et al, 2010), so they are likely to be explored first by individuals with a propensity for substance use. Additionally, in communities and social groups where "soft" substances are accessible and acceptable, it is likely that attitudes are also lenient toward "hard" substances (known as "common liability"), so the opportunity for progression is available (Fraser et al, 2014).…”