The COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on travel and gathering have likely had major impacts on drug supply, use and harms and there have been significant challenges with delivery of drug treatment and harm reduction services. People who use drugs may also be at increased risk of COVID-19 transmission because of the social nature of drug procurement and use. There have been urgent calls for evidence regarding the experiences of people who use drugs during the COVID-10 pandemic to inform public health efforts. Recognising the critical need for information, the IDRS project has been adapted to collect important data on people’s experiences during COVID-19. As such, this bulletin represents findings from 884 interviews (100 ACT, 78 NT, 155 NSW, 98 QLD, 100 SA, 74 TAS, 179 VIC, 100 WA), between 23rd June 2020 to 9th September, as part of the IDRS.

Resources

Date published
02 Nov 2020
Resource Type

Illicit Drug Reporting System Bulletins

Author(s)

Amy Peacock, Olivia Price, Antonia Karlsson, Julia Uporova, Roanna Chan, Rosie Swanton, Daisy Gibbs, Raimondo Bruno, Paul Dietze, Caroline Salom, Simon Lenton, Seraina Agramunt, Cristal Hall, Tanya Wilson, Catherine Daly, Chris Moon, Louisa Degenhardt, Michael Farrell