New figures published in the Lancet have shown deaths and disability from drugs and alcohol have soared worldwide since 2000.
The paper from the Global Burden of Disease study co-authored by NDARC Professor Louisa Degenhardt, shows that alcohol and illicit drug use combined were the 7th largest risk factors for burden of disease accounting for over 5% of total global burden in 2013.
In 2013, alcohol and illicit drug use were the cause of 3.163 million deaths globally, and increase of 51% since 2000. The increase was particularly notable for illicit drugs, which had a 225% increase in attributable deaths across 2000-2013.
In Australia, tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use were the 2nd, 5th and 8th largest risk factors for burden in 2013.
