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Victorian Drug Trends 2018: Patterns of drug use in the Victorian Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) Interviews

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Author: Campbell Aitken & Paul Dietze

Resource Type: Drug Trends Jurisdictional Reports

 

The Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) is a national illicit drug monitoring system intended to identify emerging trends of local and national concern in illicit drug markets, and forms part of Drug Trends.

This year, we have provided a summary report highlighting the key trends from the IDRS interviews conducted in Victoria. 

  • Twenty-six per cent of participants reported daily use of heroin in 2018. The main route of heroin administration for those who recently consumed heroin was injecting (100%), with only 2% reporting smoking it.
  • Three in four participants (77%) reported recent use of methamphetamine in 2018. This was driven by a significant increase in use of crystal methamphetamine (77%) – the most commonly used form since 2011. 

Results are not representative of all consumers or drug use in the general population and should be interpreted alongside findings from other data sources for a more complete profile of emerging trends in illicit drug use in Australia.