The Monitoring Illicit Substance Use Consortium: A Study Protocol

Abstract

Objective: The global impact of substance use, including cannabis, amphetamine, cocaine, ecstasy, hallucinogens, and opioids, is increasing, although the overall prevalence is low. Australia and New Zealand are among the few regions of the world in which use (typically illicit) of these classes of substances remains within the top 10 causes of disease burden. The period of adolescence and young adulthood, during which substance use behaviors accelerate in prevalence, is associated with a particular risk for harm. However, the ability to study each substance class has been limited by their low population prevalence in single population-based cohort studies. Method: The Monitoring Illicit Subs..