Introduction
This paper aims to describe cocaine use, markets and harms in Australia from 2003 to 2019.
Methods
Outcome indicators comprised prevalence of use from triennial household surveys; patterns of use from annual surveys of sentinel samples who use stimulants; and cocaine‐related seizures, arrests, hospitalisations, deaths and treatment episodes. Bayesian autoregressive time‐series analyses were conducted to estimate trend over time: Model 1, no change; Model 2, constant rate of change; and Model 3, change over time differing in rate after one change point.
Results
Past‐year population prevalence of use increased over time. The percentage reporting recent use in sentinel samples increased by 6.1% (95% credible interval [CrI95%] 1.2%,16.9%; Model 3) per year from around 2017 (48%) until the end of the series (2019: 67%). There was a constant annual increase in number of seizures (count ratio: 1.1, CrI95% 1.1,1.2) and arrests (1.2, CrI95% 1.1,1.2), and percentage reporting cocaine as easy to obtain in the sentinel samples (percent increase 1.2%, CrI95% 0.5%,1.8%; Model 2). Cocaine‐related hospitalisation rate increased from 5.1 to 15.6 per 100 000 people from around 2011–2012 to 2017–2018: an annual increase of 1.3 per 100 000 people (CrI95% 0.8,1.8; Model 3). While the death rate was low (0.23 cocaine‐related deaths per 100 000 people in 2018; Model 2), treatment episodes increased from 3.2 to 5.9 per 100 000 people from around 2016–2017 to 2017–2018: an annual increase of 2.9 per 100 000 people (CrI95% 1.6,3.7; Model 3).
Discussion and Conclusions
Cocaine use, availability and harm have increased, concentrated in recent years, and accompanied by increased treatment engagement.
Introduction. To describe trends in methamphetamine use, markets and harms in Australia from 2003 to 2019. Methods. Data comprised patterns of use and price from sentinel samples of people who inject drugs and who use MDMA/other illicit stimulants and population-level amphetamine-related police seizures, arrests, hospitalisations, treatment episodes and deaths from approximately 2003 to 2019. Bayesian autoregressive time-series models were analysed for: no change; constant rate of change; and change over time differing in rate after one to three changepoints. Related indicators were analysed post hoc with identical changepoints. Results. The percentage of people who inject drugs reporting weekly use increased from 2010 to 2013 onwards, while use among samples of people who regularly use ecstasy and other illicit stimulants decreased. Seizures and arrests rose steeply from around 2009/10 to 2014/15 and subsequently plateaued. Price increased ($15.9 [95% credible interval, CrI $9.9, $28.9] per point of crystal per year) from around 2009 to 2011, plateauing and then declining from around 2017. Hospitalisation rates increased steeply from around 2009/10 until 2015/16, with a small subsequent decline. Treatment also increased (19.8 episodes [95% CrI 13.2, 27.6] with amphetamines as the principal drug of concern per 100 000 persons per year) from 2010/11 onwards. Deaths involving amphetamines increased (0.285 per 100 000 persons per year) from 2012 until 2016. Discussion and Conclusions. These findings suggest that problematic methamphetamine use and harms escalated from 2010 to 2012 onwards in Australia, with continued demand and a sustained market for methamphetamine. [Correction added on 30 May 2022, after first online publication: In the Abstract under 'Discussion and Conclusions' 'onwards' has been added after … 2010 to 2012].
Introduction. We examined trends in Australian treatment episodes for smoking and injecting methamphetamine from 2003 to 2019. Methods. Data from the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment National Minimum Data Set, where amphetamines were the principal drug of concern, were analysed from 2003 to 2019. Rates were calculated per 100 000 population aged 10-100 years. Joinpoint software was used to identify changepoints and estimate the annual percentage change (APC) in the rate of treatment episodes. Treatment episode characteristics were compared for smoking versus injecting in 2019.Results. The rate of treatment episodes for methamphetamine increased from 77 to 262 per 100 000 population between 2003 and 2019 (average APC 8%, P < 0.001), this being due to treatment episodes for smoking methamphetamine (average APC 32%, P < 0.001) with no significant increase in treatment episodes for injecting methamphetamine (average APC 3%). Treatment episodes for smoking increased sharply from 2003 to 2008 (APC 72%, P < 0.001) and again from 2010 to 2016 (APC 46%, P < 0.001), this upward trend being attenuated between 2016 and 2019 (APC 7%, P = 0.012). Treatment episodes for methamphetamine smoking (cf. injecting) involved younger clients (median age 30 vs. 35 years, P < 0.001) who were more likely to receive assessment or case management only (37% vs. 29%, P < 0.001). Discussion and Conclusions. Increased methamphetamine treatment episodes in Australia since 2003 are due mostly to smoking the drug, this occurring among younger cohort who receive less substantive treatment than clients who inject methamphetamine.
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