More older Australians are using illegal drugs, like cannabis and misusing pharmaceutical drugs, according to a new report.

An Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report shows the number of people above the age of 60 who used illicit drugs almost doubled from 3.9 per cent to 6.9 per cent in the 15 years to 2016.

Alcohol and Drug Foundation spokeswoman Melinda Lucas tells Deborah Knight there needs to be more education around prescription drugs.

“A lot of people don’t understand the risk and they inadvertently fall into this type of category of use and that is concerning.”

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