Cocaine is a ''luxury'' product in Australia, with users paying as much as four times for the drug as those in Britain, a global drug survey finds.

The survey, conducted in Australia this year in partnership with Fairfax Media, found that about 20 per cent of the 6600 Australian respondents had used cocaine in the past year, and 45 per cent had taken it in their lifetime.

Illustration: Cathy Wilcox

The respondents were mostly from Sydney and Melbourne, and more than half had tertiary qualifications. About 65 per cent earned above-average incomes, with a quarter earning more than $100,000 a year.

Cocaine was the most popular choice for those trying a drug for the first time, and users paid about $300 a gram.