In 2026, the Drug Trends program celebrates 30 years of monitoring drug use, markets and harms across Australia.  

During this anniversary year, NDARC will reflect on some of the program’s key milestones and look at the current landscape and key trends within the alcohol and other drugs (AOD) sector. 

So what exactly is Drug Trends?

Established in 1996 and funded by the Australian Government, the Drug Trends program aims to maintain and continuously improve the monitoring of trends in illicit drug use, related behaviours, harms and markets across Australia. 

The program began in Sydney with the Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS), initially trialled over one year. In its early days, the IDRS combined surveys of people who inject drugs, interviews with experts and analysis of existing data, focusing on heroin, amphetamine, cocaine and cannabis. Following the success of this approach, the IDRS expanded to three states in 1997 and was implemented in every state and territory by 2000.  

Over time, Drug Trends broadened its focus to include other drugs like ecstasy (Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System, or EDRS), and to include other data sources such as population level harms (National Illicit Drug Indicators Project, or NIDIP) and online drug markets (Drugs and New Technologies, or DNeT).  

Conducted with partners at National Drug Research Institute, Burnet Institute, University of Tasmania and University of Queensland, the Drug Trends program helps provide timely, reliable information to guide policy and harm reduction efforts across Australia. 

Drug Trends across the decades

Here’s an at-a-glance look at how the program has evolved since it launched in 1996. 

• 1987: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) opens at UNSW Sydney.   
• 1996: NDARC’s Drug Trends program launches, funded by the Australian Government.   
• 1996: The pilot of the Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS), comprising interviews with people who inject drugs, launches in Sydney.    
• 1997: The IDRS expands to Adelaide and Melbourne.   
• 2000: The IDRS expands nationally.   
• 2002: National Illicit Drug Indicators Project (NIDIP) established to provide national epidemiological data on trends over time in drug-related harms.    
• 2003: Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System (EDRS) launches to track the increasing use of ecstasy and later other illicit stimulants, such as cocaine and methamphetamine.   
• 2012: Drugs and New Technologies (DNeT) project established to investigate drug marketplaces online and in other emerging technologies.    
• 2020-2022: Drug Trends rapidly adapts its research to track how the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped drug markets, patterns of use and access to harm-reduction services.   
• 2026: Drug Trends celebrates its 30-year anniversary. 

Tracking trends and helping harm reduction 

In addition to regular bulletins on topics of sector importance, the Drug Trends program also produces annual national and jurisdictional reports, providing in-depth analysis of trends across Australia, and interactive data visualisations that allow users to interact with Drug Trends data.  

Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Program Lead for Drug Trends, Dr Rachel Sutherland presented an overview of the program and findings from the 2025 surveys at last year’s 2025 NDARC Annual Research Symposium. Watch her presentation below. 

Want to know more? 

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive the latest bulletins, news and activity from Drug Trends and NDARC. 

Visit the NDARC website to learn more about Drug Trends and access all outputs and research findings. 

Throughout 2026, we will be sharing more insights into Drug Trends, including case studies demonstrating the program’s impact, a decade-by-decade look at substance use in Australia, and current developments and future directions for the program. 

Drug Trends is funded by the Australian Government under the Drug and Alcohol Program.