Trends in drug use, harms, and markets following the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions: Findings from Drug Trends 2020
Presenter: Amy Peacock
Author names: Amy Peacock1, Olivia Price1, Antonia Karlsson1, Julia Uporova1, Rosie Swanton1, Daisy Gibbs1, Roanna Chan1, Anant Mathur1, Agata Chrzanowska1, Nicola Man1, Rajat Katyal1,Raimondo Bruno1,2, Paul Dietze1,3,4, Simon Lenton1,5, Caroline Salom1,6, Louisa Degenhardt1, Michael Farrell1
Author affiliation: 1 National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
2 School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
3 Centre for Population Health, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia
4 School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
5 National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
6 Institute for Social Science Research, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Findings from the 2020 Illicit Drug Reporting System interviews (a sentinel sample of people who inject drugs) and the 2020 Ecstasy and Related Drug Reporting System interviews (a sentinel sample of people who use stimulants) will be presented for the first time. These two crucial monitoring systems have been running for approximately two decades across Australia.
In 2020, these projects were adapted to collect data on people’s experience of COVID-19 and associated restrictions and the impacts on illicit drug use, markets and harms. This presentation will overview key findings from these projects, and consider them alongside other findings from key projects at NDARC exploring impacts of COVID-19 on people who use alcohol and other drugs.
Funding: Drug Trends and the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre are funded by the Australian Government Department of Health under the Drug and Alcohol Program.
