Recreational, non-prescribed, use of ADHD medication and the availability of MDMA is on the rise, according to the latest drug use data.
A National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) report based on an annual survey of hundreds of people who regularly use regularly use ecstasy and/or other illicit stimulants, found significant changes in the use of some substances in 2024.
The Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System (EDRS) report found the recent use of non-prescribed pharmaceutical stimulants, such as ADHD medications dexamphetamine and methylphenidate and narcolepsy drug modafinil, represented the highest percent of use observed since monitoring began in 2003.
NDARC Deputy Director Dr Rachel Sutherland said more than half (54 percent) of EDRS participants reported recent non-prescribed use of such stimulants in 2024, compared with 47 percent in 2023 and 52 percent in 2022.
“While most participants who reported non-prescribed pharmaceutical stimulant use reported swallowing these substances (94 percent), one-quarter (26 percent) reported snorting as a route of administration, a slight increase from 2023 (20 percent),” Dr Sutherland said.
“This is of potential concern given that snorting these substances can not only result in physical harms such as nasal/sinus damage, but can also heighten the risks associated with active forms of pharmaceutical stimulants due to a faster onset of action and higher bioavailability.”
She said recent use of non-prescribed ketamine remained stable overall at 53 percent (up from 49 percent last year), but also represented the highest rate of use recorded since monitoring began.
“It is important to note that most participants who had used ketamine reported infrequent use (i.e., less than monthly), although approximately one in 10 reported weekly or more frequent use,” Dr Sutherland said.
She said additional findings from the EDRS report included:
- Significant changes in the perceived availability of all forms of MDMA in 2024, compared to 2023, with more participants nominating availability as “easy” or “very easy” in 2024.
- Past six-month cocaine use remained high and stable, with 80 percent of the sample reporting past six-month use.
- Almost two-thirds (63 percent) of participants said they had heard of naloxone, a lifesaving opioid overdose reversal agent, representing a significant increase in awareness from 2023 (57 percent). However, only 6 percent of participants reported obtaining naloxone in the past year.
Dr Sutherland said given that substances such as cocaine and ketamine had recently been found to contain opioids, and in some cases had contributed to severe overdoses in Australia, there was a need to increase naloxone awareness and uptake among people who use these substances.
