editorial comment Hum, users might be winning the war on drugs after all.....

Ecstasy is more popular than ever with young Australians, with one-in-five people in their early 20s admitting to using the drug, a new report has found.

The report also found Australians used more speed, ecstasy and marijuana than their counterparts in Britain, the US and New Zealand.

Research by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reveals ecstasy use has hit a 13-year high, with one-in-five people also admitting to taking methamphetamine.

"While the overall figure might not seem all that much, ecstasy and related drugs were commonly used by 12- to 24-year-olds in 2004," AIHW report author Priscilla Dowling said.

Marijuana use has declined, with only 11 per cent saying they had indulged recently.

However, it is still the most common drug with one-in-three people saying they had used it at some stage.

Smoking has also dropped, with daily smokers aged 14-and-over falling two per cent between 2001 and 2004.

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