METHAMPHETAMINE

Methamphetamine Use Statistics

 

• In 2018, around 4 in 10 EDRS participants had used any form of methamphetamine in the last 6 months, at a median frequency of three times in the last 180 days. This represents a sustained decline from the proportion using in 2013 and 2014 (around 6 in 10 participants)

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• It was uncommon among participants for methamphetamine to be a drug of choice, nominated by around 7%. Consistent with this, only a small proportion (7%) used methamphetamine weekly or more frequently in the past six months. 

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• Methamphetamine powder was the form most commonly used (by 66% of those recently using the drug). This represents a return to the predominance of powder use among EDRS participants after approximately equal proportions most commonly using crystal and powder forms in the 2016 survey.

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• Almost 30% of the EDRS participants reported use of powder form methamphetamine on a median of twice in the past 6 months. Rates of use of powder form methamphetamine have fallen over the past 5 years, from around 60% in 2012-2014  

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• Rates of use of crystalline methamphetamine have remained relatively stable over the past 5 years, at approximately 15% of each sample, with a slight increase in 2018

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• In 2018, around 4 in 5 IDRS participants had used any form of methamphetamine in the last 6 months, at a median frequency of 34 of the last 180 days. This is consistent with higher levels of use prior to 2017

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• Slightly more than one third of participants considered methamphetamine to be their drug of choice. One half of the sample used methamphetamine weekly or more frequently in the last 6 months, which is the highest use in the past decade

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• Almost all (92%) of participants that used methamphetamine in the last 6 months had most often used the crystalline form, and this remains the dominant form on the market.

• Powder form methamphetamine was used by one fifth of participants, at a median of 6 occasions in the past 180 days. The proportion of participants reporting recent use, and the frequency of this use has been declining in the past 5 years.

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• Crystal form methamphetamine was used by three-quarters of participants, at a median of 30 occasions in the past 180 days. While the drug was typically injected, one-quarter of these participants had smoked crystal methamphetamine in the past 6 months. The proportion of participants using crystal methamphetamine, along with the frequency of use, have resumed at high levels consisting with reports prior to 2017

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• As per trends identified in 2015 - 2017, around half of those that had recently used methamphetamine were screened as likely experiencing dependence to the drug, but only half of these were currently involved in treatment, and this was typically opioid substitution therapy, which is not efficacious in the treatment of methamphetamine dependence