Key findings

• Heroin remained the most commonly reported drug of choice for participants.
• The recent use and frequency of heroin remained stable.
• Price remained stable. The availability of heroin was ‘very easy’ or ‘easy’ and purity ‘low’ or ‘medium’.
• Nationally, the recent use and frequency of use among users of ‘any form’ of methamphetamine was lower in 2010.
• Methamphetamine price varied by jurisdiction. All forms were considered ‘easy’ or ‘very easy’ to obtain. Ice/crystal was reported as ‘high’ in purity, while speed was ‘low’ and base ‘medium’.
• Recent use of cocaine remained low. NSW remained the only jurisdiction where sizeable numbers of participants reported recent cocaine use.
• Cocaine price remained stable. Availability was reported as either ‘easy’ or ‘difficult’ and purity as ‘medium’ or ‘high’.
• The use of cannabis by participants remained common and frequency of use among users remained high, usually daily.
• Hydroponic cannabis dominated the market. Price per gram varied by type. Hydroponic cannabis potency was ‘high’.
• Extra-medical use and injection of pharmaceutical preparations continued to occur.
• Borrowing of needles was reported by one in ten participants in the month preceding interview. Sharing of injecting equipment was common. Over half of the participants reused their own needles in the last month.
• Nearly half of the national sample self-reported a mental health problem in the last six months. The most common problem reported was depression.
• Over one-third of the national sample reported a criminal activity in the last month. Thirty-nine percent had been arrested in the last year.

Resources

• IDRS Bulletin Oct 2010.pdf