Executive summary -- Introduction -- 1. Popular perceptions of the drug problem -- 1.1 Changing perceptions of drugs -- 1.2 Adolescent perceptions -- 1.3 Drugs as a community concern -- 1.4 Beliefs about drug-related deaths -- 2. Public policies on tobacco and alcohol -- 2.1 Cigarette advertising and availability -- 2.2 The availability of alcohol -- 2.3 Government spending on alcohol and tobacco policies -- 3. Restricting smoking in public places -- 3.1 Workplace restrictions -- 3.2. General smoking restrictions -- 3.3 Policy preferences by socioeconomic group -- 4. The Cannabis debate -- 4.1 Attitudes towards legalisation -- 4.2 Marijuana use and attitudes to legalisation -- 4.3 Policy preferences -- 5. Attitudes towards 'hard' drugs -- 5.1 Heroin and cocaine -- 5.2 Other drugs -- Appendix
Summary
The report examines changes in opinions about drug policies, broadly grouped into beliefs about the drug problem in general, and of the drugs that constitute the problem; public policies towards alcohol and tobacco; views concerning restrictions on public smoking; opinions about the legal status of cannabis; and beliefs about hard drugs in general. The presentation of the results is broadly descriptive, with graphs being used for ease of interpretation wherever possible
