2014 Key Australian findings: psychostimulant drug market

National Drug Trends Conference Maritime museum, Sydney

Monday, 20th October, 2014

Natasha Sindicich & Lucy Burns

Funded by the Australian Government under the Substance Misuse Prevention and Service Improvement Grants Fund

• Recruitment and demographics • Ecstasy Market • NPS and Synthetic cannabis market • Methamphetamine market • Other drugs markets • Summary of main points

EDRS Recruitment 2003-2014

809 852 810 752 741

678 756

693 574 607

686 800

0100200300400500600700800900

1000

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Source: EDRS interviews

Number of EDRS participants 2003-2014

• NT criteria slightly differed in terms of how long resided in Darwin, reached 100 • Online became the most prominent way participants were recruited • N=13 (2%) participants had not used ecstasy • N=77 (10%) were not regular ecstasy users

Demographics of EDRS participants

• Mean age 23 years • Male (66%) • English speaking back ground (97%) • Heterosexual (89%) • Tertiary educated (46%) • Unemployed (15%) • Currently in drug treatment (2%) • Proportions similar to previous years

Drug of choice, 2003-2014

52 50 51 45

39 37 42 38

27 32 33 36

12 13 12 15 14 13 17 16 20 19 23 25

5 5

8 5 10 11 8

14 13

6 8 3 6

5

9 12 11

15 18 12

0102030405060708090

100

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

% r

epor

ted

use

Ecstasy Cannabis Cocaine Alcohol

• Preference for ecstasy is steady at 36% as the drug of choice • Preference for alcohol has significantly decreased from 18% to 12%, still in 3rd place

Ecstasy (MDMA) use and Market

Domestic trends for ecstasy, 2014

4.8 6.1

7.5

8.9

10.3 10.9

2.4 2.9 3.4 3.5 3 2.5

1998 2001 2004 2007 2010 2013

General population ecstasy use, 1998-2013

Ever used Used last 12 months

• Australian population use has decreased

• At the border seizure numbers are the highest on record 2012-13

Number and weight of MDMA detections at the Australian border, 2003/04 - 2012/13

Source: AIHW, 2014 Source: Australian Customs and Border Protection Service

Illicit tablets seized by major drug type Forensic purity and availability

93.0%

2.6% 2.2%

Ecstasy (MDMA,MDEA and MDA)

Methorphan

No drugs detected

Piperazines (BZP andTFMPP)

Caffeine

July 2013- June 2014

52%

30%

7%

4% 7%

Methorphan

Ecstasy (MDMA andMDA)

Methylamphetamine

No drugs detected

other

July 2012- June 2013

Source: Victoria Police Forensic Services

• Ecstasy is clearly the major drug type in illicit tablets seized • Ecstasy pills are considered ‘medium’ (36%)

Ecstasy forms, 2014

• Increasing use of MDMA crystals

100 100 100 98 97 95 96 92

19 27

47 53 53 50 53

1 11 14 17

26 25 27 24

39 49

0102030405060708090

100

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

% r

epor

ted

use

pills capsules powder MDMA crystals

Source: EDRS interviews

MDMA crystal/rock Ecstasy pills, powder, capsules

Price: $25 per pill Purity: Availability:

21

36 19

23 Low

Medium

High

Fluctuates

9

26

58

8 Low

Medium

High

Fluctuates

96 95 96 94 92 94 88

69 72

89 86 89

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

% o

f res

pond

ents

easy-very easy

Price: $25 per point, $250 per gram Purity: Availability: easy-very easy 68% • Dark web found most ecstasy for sale

was crystal/rock MDMA (44-49%) Agora & Silk Road 2.0 • Last use venue for both forms was

nightclubs followed by live music venue/concert

New Psychoactive Substances (NPS)

• Population estimates for NPS and synthetic cannabis is low • NPS stabilised and synthetic cannabis has decreased

Source: EDRS interviews

28

6

33

15

37

16

36

7 ↓

0102030405060708090

100

NPS Synthetic cannabinoids

% re

port

ed u

se

NPS and synthetic cannabis use, 2014

2011 2012 2013 2014

0.4

1.3

0.4

1.2

0

0.5

1

1.5

NPS Synthetic cannabis

Population estimates of NPS and synthetic cannabis use,

2013

Lifetime Recent

Source: AIHW, 2014

NPS recent use, 2013-2014

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

1414 14

8

6

3 4

2

14

12

9

6

5

3 3

2

% re

port

ed u

se

20132014

Source: UNODC Early Warning Advisory on NPS, 2014

DMT can produce powerful psychedelic experiences including intense visuals, euphoria and hallucinations

Life time: 27%, Recent use 14% Days of use: 1 day (VIC, WA, QLD) • Comes in crystals or pills 49% sought DMT, 51% were offered DMT Sourced mainly from friends (65%), dealers (15%) , given as a

gift (9%), and online (8%)

93% smoked, 7% swallow, 3% snorted

NBOMe

• designed to mimic or produce similar effects to common illicit drugs such as LSD

• Implicated in the deaths of Henry Kwang and Preston Bridge 13% Lifetime use, 9% recent use 2 days (SA, WA, QLD) 91% swallowed, 4% smoked and 3% snorted It was sought by 54% of participants and offered to 46% of participants $15-$30 per blotter, $20-$25 per pill Last source included: friend (53%), dealer (28%) and online (17%)

MDMA, 25I-NBOMe, Caffeine, MSM

Synthetic cannabis

‘Pure Sin 3g’: FUB-144 detected, MSM indicated. Packaging states: Lab certified, no banned chemicals, does not contain JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-200, CP-47, 497, C8-Homologue, AM2201, and MAM2201.

9

5 5

1

5

3.5

10

2

4

0

2

4

6

8

10

DMT K2/Spice Kronic

Rat

ing

Pleasurable effects Negative effects Take again

• Decrease in use particularly of Kronic • Days of use still low at 2.5 days (last 6 months) • Likeability ratings were low for synthetic cannabis in 2013 • Despite passing of law in October 2013, manufacturers still

trying to get around it

Recent Methamphetamine use, 2003-2014

• Median days: ice/crystal 6 days, speed 3 days, base 5 days

Source: EDRS interviews

84 83 84 82

71

59 54 56

60 61

50 47

73 68

74

64

57

46 45 47 49 48

37 36

36 39 38

34

26

18 15 13

16 15

6 8

52

45

38

49

33

24

15 17

26 29

23 20

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

% re

port

ed u

se

Any meth Speed Base Ice/crystal

Ice/Crystal recent use by jurisdiction, 2013-2014

Days of use: QLD (12 days), ACT (8 days) , VIC (8 days)

23

45

20

13 8

34

14 20 17

27 26

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

National NSW ACT VIC TAS SA WA NT QLD

20132014

Related drug use trends, 2014

Source: EDRS interviews

27 27

41 37

40 36

39

48 46 40

36

44 ↑

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100 Cocaine LSD Ketamine GHB Cannabis

• Cannabis stable on all fronts • Cocaine has increased in recent use,

no change in frequency or market characteristics. Indicators appear stable (values marked)

• LSD issue of mistaken identity with

NBOMe and harms associated. QLD highest use, days of use low.

• Ketamine recent use nationally stable –

recent use in VIC is high. Days of use low.

• GHB recent use still low, highest in VIC and NSW. Days of use low.

Snapshot summary of recent use, 2013-2014

Source: EDRS interviews * includes licit and illicit use

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100 98.8 97

86

50

36 43

37 32 33

27 25

19 17 16

12 6

97 98

83

47 44 41

36 34

21 21↓ 23

18 17

7 12

5

% re

port

ed re

cent

use

2013

2014

Snapshot days of use RPU, 2014

48

32

13 6 5 3 2.5 2 2 2 2 1.5

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Summary: Key messages

Synthetic cannabis ↓

MDMA crystals ↑

All other drugs ≈

Acknowledgments Study participants

Agencies assisting with recruitment

Key experts

Agencies and individuals providing indicator data

Researchers and institutions across Australia

The NDARC team with their help with the handout and the conference

Current and previous national EDRS and IDRS coordinators

The Funders – Australian Government Department of Health