Today, the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) released a report, Estimating the number of regular and dependent methamphetamine users in Australia, 2002-2014, which showed a substantial increase in methamphetamine regular and dependent users.
The report showed a 2.09% increase for regular, and 1.24% increase for dependent user. The highest rates were consistently among young people aged 25-34, but an increase was shown in the rate of dependent users aged 15 to 24. The findings indicate that there is a strong need for health services to support and make treatment available for those who have developed problems because of methamphetamine use.
The investigation was led by Professor Louisa Degenhardt at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, and CYSAR Staff members, Professor Wayne Hall, Dr Gary Chan, and Megan Weier were also authors.
The release of the article has been covered in the mass media. The Guardian Australia wrote about the article here.