Behind the shifting prices and habits lies a clear warning – the drug market is evolving, and health responses need to keep pace.
Young Australians are drinking more, paying less for party drugs, and turning to illicit tobacco in record numbers, according to new national drug surveys.
And the annual surveys from the National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre’s long-running program reveal some big changes.
The Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System survey showed large shifts in trends amongst young adults from last year, with an increased preference for alcohol and significant reductions in the price of some forms of ecstasy and methamphetamine.
The Illicit Drug Reporting System survey, an older cohort, remained largely the same from the previous year but reported a significant decrease in the price of heroin.
A huge rise in the use of illicit tobacco amongst both cohorts was reported, as well as an increase in the awareness and use of naloxone.
Let’s break it down.
Illicit Drug Reporting System survey
Characteristics of the IDRS sample of nearly 900 people remained similar to the previous year, with a median age of 47 years.
The drugs of choice were also stable, with 44% nominating methamphetamine (42% in 2024) and 42% nominating heroin (39% in 2024).
Rates and frequency of use, as well as availability/perceived ease of obtainment remained stable from 2024 to 2025 for heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine.
Non-prescribed cannabis use on at least a weekly basis decreased by 5% (57% in 2024, 52% in 2025).
Price was also stable from 2024 across the board, with the exception of heroin, where a significant drop was noted.
The median price for one point of heroin this year was $50, down from $80 the year before.
Recent use of any methamphetamine was reported by 82% of the cohort, the same as last year, and crystal continued to be the most common form.
Methamphetamine crystal was reported as easy or very easy to obtain by 96% of the cohort, but 5% fewer than last year reported this for cocaine (62% in 2025 vs 67% in 2024).
Benzodiazepines remained the most common non-prescribed pharmaceutical drug, with a quarter of the cohort reporting its use, followed by pregabalin, which had increased in use from the previous year (16% vs 13%).
Non-prescribed oxycodone, morphine and fentanyl use remained stable, but GHB/GBL/1,4-BD use increased from 15% to 17% between 2024 and 2025.
Non-prescribed tramadol use dropped from 4% to 2%, and buprenorphine-naloxone dropped from 9% to 6%.
Recent use of tobacco remained stable at 87%, but recent use of illicit tobacco products showed a significant increase from the year before (63% vs 46%).
Rates of distributive sharing and receptive sharing of needles did not change between 2024 and 2025, but there was a 4% increase in sharing of other equipment (19% vs 15%).
Infection, abscess and nerve damage remained the most common injection-related problems, the rates of which were consistent between 2024 and 2025.
A fifth of the sample experienced non-fatal overdose in the preceding 12 months, stable from 2024, and driving within three hours of drug consumption and driving over the perceived limit of alcohol was the same as the year before (77% and 9% respectively).
The unemployment rate amongst the IDRS cohort remained very similar to the year before (88%), but median weekly income increased by about $40.
Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System
The EDRS cohort of nearly 700 increased in median age between 2024 and 2025 (23 vs 26), while fewer reported living with parents or in their family home (26% vs 34%).
Drugs of choice and most common drugs in the previous month shifted dramatically.
There was a 10% increase in alcohol as the drug of choice (14% vs 4%) and a drop in cocaine as the drug of choice (13% vs 16%).
The drugs used most often in the last month also changed significantly from 2024; more participants reported alcohol (29% vs13%), while fewer reported cannabis (29% vs 33%) and ecstasy (12% vs 19%).
Related
Despite more choosing it, recent alcohol use dropped from 95% to 92% and frequency of use remained stable (40 days in 2025 and 2024).
The median price of ecstasy remained stable, except for powder form which significantly decreased from $250 to $200 since the 2024 survey.
Despite this price drop, use of powder decreased from 30% to 23%.
Recent methamphetamine use in this cohort remained stable, as did the forms and frequency of use.
There was a significant decrease in the median price of one gram of methamphetamine crystal, dropping from $300 in 2024 to $250 in 2025.
Use of non-prescribed dexamphetamine remained stable, but lisdexamfetamine increased from 22% to 30%.
Similar to 2024, 86% reported obtainment of non-prescribed pharmaceutical stimulants as easy or very easy.
Rates and frequency of use, as well as availability/perceived ease of obtainment of cocaine, cannabis and non-prescribed ketamine, LSD and DMT remained stable for this cohort.
Recent use of non-prescribed benzodiazepines reduced from 2024 (23% vs 28%), as well as recent use of substances with ‘unknown content’ (13% vs 20%).
Recent use of any tobacco remained stable from last year at 72%, but recent use of illicit tobacco products increased from 27% to 46%.
Non-fatal stimulant overdose over the preceding year remained stable at around a fifth, while non-fatal depressant overdose dropped from 28% to 22%.
There were decreases in the number of people who drove while over the perceived legal limit of alcohol (20% vs 29%) and those who drove within three hours of consuming an illicit or non-prescribed drug (44% vs 50%).
Naloxone and drug testing
Awareness of naloxone increased from the previous surveys, with 73% of EDRS participants and 86% of the IRDS cohort reporting they had heard of it, up from 63% and 80% respectively.
Approximately one in five people who use drugs like ecstasy and 55% of people who inject drugs reported obtaining naloxone in the past year, Associate Professor Amy Peacock, Drug Trends Program Lead and NDARC Deputy Director, told media.
She highlighted that a third of those who inject drugs reported that they had resuscitated someone using naloxone at least once in their lifetime, up from 27% in 2024.
“In Australia, we are seeing more cases where drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine are being mixed with very strong opioids, or where products are made to look like legitimate medicines but unexpectedly contain an opioid,” she said.
“This means that people with little or no tolerance to opioids are being unintentionally and unknowingly exposed and are at higher risk of overdose.
“Because of the risk of unintentionally consuming opioids or using stronger-than-expected doses, having naloxone on hand is a practical way to reduce harm.”
Drug testing increased in the EDRS cohort, with 39% reporting that they or someone else had tested the content and/or purity of their illicit drugs in the past year, up from 27% the year before.
It also increased from 11% to 15% amongst IRDS participants.
“Of those who had tested their substances, the majority (71% of people who use drugs like ecstasy and 66% of people who inject drugs) reported using a personal testing kit, which can only provide limited information about the purity and contents of illicit drugs,” said Dr Rachel Sutherland, deputy program lead and lead author.
She said approximately two in five amongst the cohorts reported that they had submitted drugs at a drug checking service.
“These findings reinforce that people who use drugs want information about their substances and add to a growing body of evidence demonstrating demand for drug checking services in Australia,” said Dr Sutherland.
NDARC director, Professor Michael Farrell, said 2025 marked the 40th anniversary of the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse, which was launched in 1985 and later evolved into the National Drug Strategy.
The full reports are available here.
