The way Australians are using recreational drugs is changing, with this year's edition of an annual report finding a sharp shift towards the use of purer substances at very high rates. Researchers at the University of New South Wales' National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre say this year's findings are concerning.
Australian drug users are edging toward higher-purity forms of ecstasy and using cocaine at some of the highest levels ever recorded. Those are among the findings of a new survey from the University of New South Wales' National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre. The centre's annual Drug Trends reports paint a picture of Australians’ changing drug use.
The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre's 2018 Drug Trends reports were produced after hundreds of interviews with drug users living in capital cities. The results are not representative of drug use among the general population, but they do help provide early warnings of trends.
One in four respondents to this year's survey reported weekly or more frequent use of ecstasy.
Use of crystal and capsule forms of ecstasy, 72 and 62 per cent respectively, were reported at high levels. Crystal and capsule forms are of higher purity than pills, because they are harder to mix with other substances when mass-produced. Dr Amy Peacock, a career fellow at the Research Centre, says the rise in use of higher-purity ecstasy is concerning
Researchers also found evidence of cocaine use at the highest level recorded by the annual Drug Trends reports since they began in 2003. Fifty-nine per cent of those surveyed this year reported using cocaine in the past six months, up from 48 per cent at the end of 2017. Dr Peacock says only seven per cent of those surveyed used cocaine weekly or more frequently, but admits the drug appears to be getting easier to find.
Rachel Sutherland, a Senior Research Officer at the Centre, says 20 per cent of those surveyed said they bought drugs on the internet.
The Drug and Alcohol Research Centre also notes the new stimulant trends are having some worrying effects on the health of young users. One-in-five fatal strokes among young adults between 2009 and 2016 affected stimulant users. The Centre's Professor Shane Darke says strokes are usually rare among young people, something making the findings all the more alarming.
The survey shows heroin use has remained relatively stable, with 54 per cent reporting use in the last six months. While one in five participants reported a non-fatal overdose in the last year, Dr Amy Peacock says she expects that ratio to fall soon.
One in five of survey respondents reported taking capsules with unknown contents in the past six months, something researchers say is “alarming”. It comes as debate rages about so-called "pill testing", a harm-minimisation strategy which allows people to find out what exactly is in the drugs they intend to take. The Australian Medical Association is a supporter of the idea, but a number of senior Coalition politicians remain opposed.
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