More young Australians are using a very pure form of ecstasy crystals, with a significant proportion of these users bingeing on stimulants for up to 48 hours, according to key findings presented at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre Annual Symposium on 12 September 2016.
Findings also confirm trend data from other sources – including police and customs seizure data – that suggests a significant return of the ecstasy market in Australia, which only six years ago was shrinking due to lack of purity and difficulty obtaining the drug.
The Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System (EDRS), which surveys regular psychostimulant users every year to determine trends in the market, found that nearly 60 per cent of users took ecstasy in a high purity crystal form.
“Participants in our survey, the longest running in Australia, first mentioned use of crystal ecstasy in 2012. Since then we have seen a steady year-on-year increase in the reported use of crystal ecstasy,” says senior researcher Amanda Roxburgh.
“While pills are still the most common form reportedly used, the increasing popularity of ecstasy crystals appears to be linked to their increased purity,” she adds.
More than half of all crystal ecstasy users reported high purity, compared with only a quarter reporting high purity ecstasy pills.
The researchers warn that increased purity and the ease of availability may increase the risk of adverse effects. More than 90 per cent of users describe ecstasy in any form as easy or very easy to obtain, compared with less than 70 per cent finding it easy to obtain five to six years ago.
“As the crystal form of ecstasy is relatively new we are still gaining information about how users respond to it,” says Ms Roxburgh.
“It is reasonable to assume that increased purity, coupled with uncertainty around the amount of the drug being taken, increases risks.
“The majority of ecstasy users do not use frequently, however a significant minority are using weekly or more. In addition, 40 per cent of users say they have “binged” on stimulants. We define bingeing as using it for more than two days without sleep. Bingeing coupled with higher purity increases the risk to users.”
According to the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, around 2.5 per cent of Australians have taken ecstasy in the past 12 months. The EDRS survey, in contrast, surveys 786 people who have used stimulants regularly in the previous six months in order to obtain warnings of significant changes in the market.
The average age of participants in the survey is 23, with 75 per cent being aged under 25. Around half of all users say they take ecstasy in pubs and nightclubs, and 14 per cent take it at live music events and raves.
Other EDRS key findings by drug
- Ecstasy was the drug of choice by over a third of psychostimulant users (36%), with a quarter of the national sample reporting ‘weekly or more’ use. Almost half (44%) of participants nominated nightclubs as the last location they used ecstasy. The price of ecstasy remained stable at $25 per tablet.
- Cannabis use remains high (86%) and stable among these users, with about a fifth of the sample using cannabis daily.
- Methamphetamine (all forms) use remained stable, with 38 per cent of participants reporting recent use and seven per cent of the national sample reporting ‘weekly or more’ use, specifically crystal (6%). Speed powder remained the form of methamphetamine used by the largest proportion of participants (25%), followed by crystal (19%).
- New Psychoactive Substance (NPS) use remained stable with about a third (34%) of the sample reporting NPS use in the past six months. Frequency of use is sporadic.
- Cocaine use was reported by about half of the national sample, however frequency of use was low.
- Other drugs: Nitrous oxide use increased markedly to 36 per cent in 2016 (25% in 2015); Benzodiazepine use increased by six per cent to 38 per cent in 2016 (32% in 2015) and Ketamine use increased by 11 per cent to 26 per cent in 2016 (15% in 2015).
EDRS survey participant profile
- Total number surveyed: 795
- Average age: 23
- 61 per cent male
- 24 per cent employed full-time
- 39 per cent students
- 44 per cent with tertiary qualifications
Findings from the Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS)
73 per cent of people who inject drugs (PWID) had used crystal methamphetamine in the past six months, compared to 67 per cent in 2015.
Crystal use by PWID has increased by 34 per cent since 2010, climbing six per cent each year for the past three years.
Frequency of crystal use increased significantly with 42 per cent of PWID reporting ‘weekly or more’ use, up nine per cent on 2015 (33%). Crystal was cited by 36 per cent of PWID as the drug injected the most often in the past month, just shy of heroin (39%), which tops the list.
Other IDRS key findings by drug
- Heroin was the most commonly reported drug of choice among PWID (46%). In 2016, daily heroin use was reported by 41 per cent of the national sample, and 17 per cent reported ‘weekly or more’ use.
- Methamphetamine (all forms) was cited by 40 per cent of PWID as the drug injected most often in the past month. All forms of methamphetamine were considered ‘very easy’ or ‘easy’ to obtain. Crystal was reported as ‘high’ in purity, while speed powder and base were of ‘medium’ purity.
- Cocaine use remained stable (11%) in 2016, and the frequency of use low.
- Cannabis use remains high, with 73 per cent of PWID reporting recent use. A third (32%) of the sample report daily cannabis use, with hydroponic cannabis dominating the market.
- Pharmaceuticals:
- Oxycodone use among PWID has declined by 12 per cent since 2014, the year a ‘tamper-proof’ formulation of the drug designed to reduce opioid abuse was released in Australia.
- In 2016, 21 per cent of PWID reported recent use of oxycodone, compared to 25 per cent in 2015 and 33 per cent in 2014.
- When asked specifically about injecting, just 16 per cent of PWID reported recent injection of oxycodone, compared to 19 per cent in 2015 and 28 per cent in 2014.
- Nationally, small numbers reported recent use of the powerful opioid fentanyl (10% in 2016).
- Pharmaceutical opioids continued to account for the majority of opioid overdose deaths in 2012, according to the National Illicit Drug Indicators Project (NIDIP) at NDARC.
IDRS survey participant profile
- Total number surveyed : 877
- Average age: 43
- 69 per cent male
- 86 per cent unemployed
- 55 per cent prison history
- Mean grade at school completed: Year 10
About Drug Trends
The Drug Trends program, based at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, monitors Australian trends in illicit drug use. A major component of this work is the IDRS and the EDRS.
Each year the IDRS and EDRS surveys 2000 people who use drugs, interviews key experts who can comment on drug markets, and collects indicator data including hospitalisations, treatment episodes and mortality.
The IDRS monitors the price, purity, availability and patterns of use of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and cannabis.
The EDRS monitors the price, purity, availability and patterns of use of ecstasy, methamphetamine, cocaine, ketamine, GHB, MDA and LSD.
These surveys of drug users are designed to provide early warnings of trends.The results are not representative of drug use among the general population, nor are they intended to be. The results are intended to indicate emerging trends to assist policy makers, law enforcers and clinicians.
Media contacts:
Marion Downey: P: (02) 9385 0180 | 0401 713 850 | m.downey@unsw.edu.au
Leanne Mezrani: P: (02) 9385 0124 | 0432 894 776 | l.mezrani@unsw.edu.au