Via NDARC:
Following on from the current discussion of ice in the media can I draw your attention to the findings from the 2012 IDRS (sentinel survey of injecting drug users ) and EDRS ( sentinel survey of ecstasy and related drug users). The research teams found a significant jump in use of ice among people who inject drugs, such that use in this cohort is now at peak levels reported in 2003 and 2006 nationally and in most jurisdictions.
Among regular ecstasy users the research teams found a small and steady increase in use of ice since 2010 but use among this cohort still remains significantly below peak levels reported in 2003 and 2006. Speed remains the methamphetamine of choice among this group and use has remained steady over the past three years, but again significantly below peak levels and much lower than ice use in the injecting drug users’ cohort.
The final reports for the 2012 IDRS and EDRS will be published in April. A link to the interim findings, presented at the National Drug Trends Conference last October, can be found below.
Congratulations to Dr Lucy Burns and the drug trends teams nationally and in the jurisdictions for producing timely reports, year on year, which continue to be highly sensitive to trends.
http://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/news/ice-use-injecting-drug-users-increases-second-year-row
http://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/resource/key-findings-2012-edrs-drug-trends-conference-handout
Key findings from the 2012 IDRS: Drug Trends conference handout