New research from Curtin University has revealed increasing cigarette prices over the past several years have seen more older Australians turn to cannabis use as an alternative.
Researchers from Curtin’s School of Accounting, Economics and Finance investigated the buying habits of nearly 100,000 Australians from 2001 to 2019 by analysing data from the Australian National Drug Strategy Household Survey.
The team found when cigarette prices increased cannabis use decreased in Australians under 40 years of age, with no change for people aged between 40 and 50.
However, it also showed cannabis use increased among people aged over 50 when cigarette prices rose.