People in New England have changed perceptions towards cannabis and tobacco in the last decade

In the case of alcohol, they would spend most of the money on education, according to new research.

Since alcohol is accessible, legal and socialised, learning about its harms can be seen as helping people to use it appropriately, Centacare New England North West executive manager Josie Hofman believes.

She said people associate criminal activity with illicit substances because that's how they're obtained, but law enforcement hasn't always been demonstrated as the best way to reduce their harm.

"What we've noticed is the very addictive nature of illicit substances causes people to continue to be reoffending," she said.

"So it's really education that would provide, I believe, a more effective first line measure to help support people in increasing their awareness of what illicit substances are that are available and what the potential impact might be on them and their functioning."

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New analysis from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found less than a quarter of people in the region support increasing the price of alcohol, which is almost ten per cent less than in NSW and the country.

While the majority of people in the region support stricter penalties for the sale or supply of cigarettes to minors, almost 10 per cent more people supported it in some regions.

Attitudes in New England and surrounds also differed from other regions in that half of people believe it should be harder for young people to buy cigarettes in shops. In NSW, that number is 62 per cent.

Centacare frontline drug and alcohol counsellors believe the increase of vaping, over-represented with young people, could be a contributing factor, Ms Hofman said.

"It's not a surprise to me that the recent stats are indicating a level of acceptance or awareness that tobacco use is something that's quite normal within our region," she said.

"That has become incredibly problematic for our young people as a result, because so many young people are vaping and using that as an alternative to normal cigarette smoking.

"It has created a level of normalisation that perhaps wasn't there in the previous decade."

Perceptions towards marijuana have also changed since 2010 when only seven per cent of people in the region approved of its use. In 2019, approval grew to 22 per cent.

"Unfortunately people are perceiving cannabis as not a substance to be concerned about," Ms Hofman said.

"The problem is that it being a gateway drug, it often opens up for the use of illicit substances."

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