Aussie drug habits show demand for purer ecstasy is on the rise

A SNAPSHOT of Australian drug habits has shown use of cocaine and the demand for purer forms of ecstasy and methamphetamine is on the rise.

A new report has found the demand for purer ecstasy from Australian drug users is on the rise. Picture: Supplied

A SNAPSHOT of Australian drug habits has shown use of cocaine and the demand for purer forms of ecstasy and methamphetamine is on the rise, while heroin is still the drug of choice.

According to one of two 2018 Drug Trends reports — the Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System- which analysed the habits of 799 active ecstasy and stimulants users from capital cities across Australia, 59 per cent admitted to using cocaine in 2018 — up from 48 per cent of those surveyed in the last half of 2017.

The report from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at UNSW Sydney found the demand for higher purity ecstasy found in crystal or capsule forms, instead of pill form, were at some of the highest levels since 2003.

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Crystal ecstasy capsules are more popular than pills. Picture: Supplied

72 per cent said they had used crystal ecstasy and 62 per cent said they had used capsule form in 2018, while one in four surveyed (27 per cent) said they used ecstasy (MDMA) on a weekly basis or more.

Alarmingly one in five regular ecstasy users (18 per cent) admitted to consuming capsules without knowing what was in them in the last six months.

Dr Amy Peacock, the program lead, warned the findings were not reflective of all Australians.

She said trend toward greater use of higher purity ecstasy was a cause for concern.

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“Use of higher purity stimulants can increase the risk of experiencing acute and long-term negative health effects” Dr Peacock said.

“Acute effects may include dehydration, increased or irregular heart rate, agitation, headaches, and seizures. Use over long periods of time without sleep or in combination with other substances can increase the risk of these types of effects.”

59 per cent of regular ecstasy users said they had used cocaine in the last six months. Picture: iStock

“In terms of long-term harms, we know that people who report heavy stimulant use typically do not engage with treatment or do so intermittently. Part of the issue is the lack of good treatment options for stimulant dependence, although there are trials currently underway in Australia exploring efficacy of various medications.”

This survey also found cocaine use was on the rise — 59 per cent said they’d used cocaine in the last six months, compared to 48 per cent in the last half of 2017.

Only seven per cent of those surveyed had used cocaine weekly or more frequently.

Meanwhile half (51 per cent) of drug users surveyed said they’d used LSD in 2018 and one in three (35 per cent) said they’d used ketamine.

One of the studies looked at the drug habits of regular ecstasy users. Picture: iStock

Cannabis was popular among regular ecstasy users, 90 per cent of who said they’d used it in 2018.

98 per cent of this group also said they’d consumed alcohol and 85 per cent had smoked tobacco.

ONE IN FIVE DRUG USERS OVERDOSED IN LAST YEAR

The NDARC also conducted a separate report on illicit drug use surveying 910 regular drug users.

This report found one in five surveyed (20 per cent) had overdosed on a drug in the last year — most commonly heroin.

One in five surveyed said they had overdosed on a drug in the last year — most said it was heroin. Picture: iStock

There has been a significant increase in methamphetamine compared to 2017, with three out of four drug users (77 per cent) saying they’d used it in some form in 2018.

This report found 75 per cent had used the most common form, crystal methamphetamine, in the last six months — and half (47 per cent) said they had used it weekly or more frequently. Meanwhile, only eight per cent or regular users had received drug treatment for their use in the last year. The price of crystal, powder and base meth was considered cheaper in 2018 than previous years.

The report found heroin was the drug of choice for two in five people (41 per cent) in the last six months, despite meth being injected more often.

Heroin use has decreased since 2003, despite it being cheaper than ever in the history of the study. 31 per cent of drug users said they had used it daily in 2018.

“A positive finding is the increased awareness and use of naloxone — an over the counter medication that can reverse the effects of an overdose — among the sample of people who regularly inject drugs, although ideally in the future we would hope that everyone who participates knows about naloxone, can access it, and carries it with them in their day-to-day lives,” Dr Peacock said.