More Aussie drug users turning to cocaine, purer stimulant forms

SYDNEY: The use of cocaine is rising among drug takers in Australia, while purer forms of the Ecstasy illegal stimulant are also being taken at record levels, according to latest figures on drug trends in the country.

While the trends do not reflect the drug use of all Australians, the numbers, including the shift towards the higher purity substances was still a cause for concern.

Xinhua news agency quoted Dr Amy Peacock, the programme lead for drug trends at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre under Sydney’s University of New South Wales, as saying this in a statement yesterday.

The centre released the drug trend reports at a major symposium in the city, based on a study which included interviews with nearly 800 people from capital cities nationwide. Cocaine takers rose from 48 per cent of participants reporting any use in the second half of last year to 59 per cent for this year, according to the centre.

Recent use of crystal and capsule forms of Ecstasy alone were at some of the highest levels recorded in more than a decade, with one in four participants reporting weekly or more frequent use of the psychoactive drug.

Drug take rs also reported greater use of purer methamphetamine synthetic stimulants.

“Use of higher purity stimulants can increase the risk of experiencing acute and longterm negative health effects,” said Peacock.

“In terms of long-term harm, we know that people who report heavy stimulant use typically do not engage with treatment or do so intermittently,” he said.