New findings from the national Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System reveal concerning patterns amongst regular stimulant users in Australia. In particular, mental health issues have reached unprecedented levels, while polydrug consumption has become the dominant behaviour. According to the 2025 data, drawn from interviews with 690 participants across all capital cities, the findings paint a sobering yet revealing picture of escalating health risks within a population whose median age is just 26 years.

Mental Health Crisis Deepens

The intersection between stimulant use patterns and psychological wellbeing has reached a critical point, according to the latest Australian drug trends research. More than half of respondents reported experiencing mental health problems, with 57 per cent acknowledging issues requiring attention. However, a significant treatment gap remains, as only 33 per cent have sought professional help despite the prevalence of symptoms.

Depression leads the list of diagnosed conditions at 61 per cent, closely followed by anxiety at 60 per cent. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder affects nearly one-third of participants at 32 per cent. These figures suggest a complex relationship between substance use and psychological distress that extends far beyond recreational consumption.

Polydrug Use Becomes Standard Practice

Perhaps most alarming is the normalisation of simultaneous multiple substance consumption. A staggering 86 per cent of participants reported using two or more drugs in combination, revealing that stimulant use patterns in contemporary Australia rarely occur in isolation. This behaviour significantly amplifies health risks, particularly when combined with hazardous alcohol consumption patterns.

The data shows 73 per cent of respondents obtained scores of eight or more on the AUDIT assessment, indicating past-year hazardous alcohol use. When combined with stimulants such as ecstasy, cocaine, or methamphetamine, the cardiovascular and neurological risks multiply exponentially.

Road Safety Concerns Escalate

Beyond individual health impacts, the Australian drug trends 2025 report highlights serious public safety implications. Amongst recent drivers, 44 per cent admitted to drug driving, whilst 20 per cent reported drink driving. These figures suggest that impaired driving represents a normalised risk-taking behaviour within this population, with potentially catastrophic consequences for broader community safety.

Substance-Specific Patterns

Ecstasy and MDMA

Ecstasy remains widely accessible, with 89 per cent perceiving it as easy or very easy to obtain. The substance appears predominantly in capsule form at 55 per cent, though crystal and pill forms are nearly as common. Concerningly, 19 per cent of recent users reported weekly or more frequent consumption, indicating that for a substantial minority, use has transitioned from occasional to habitual.

Methamphetamine

The methamphetamine market shows troubling stability. Past six-month use remained virtually unchanged between 2024 and 2025, whilst the median price of 50 dollars per point has held steady. Accessibility remains extraordinarily high at 94 per cent perceiving easy availability. Most concerning is the frequency of use, with 45 per cent of recent consumers reporting weekly or more regular consumption, the highest rate amongst all substances tracked.

Cocaine

Cocaine consumption remained consistent, with 79 per cent reporting past six-month use in 2025 compared to 80 per cent in 2024. The market demonstrates remarkable price stability at 350 dollars per gramme for both years, suggesting established supply chains. Perceived accessibility increased slightly, with 85 per cent viewing cocaine as easily obtainable compared to 81 per cent previously.

Cannabis

Cannabis shows the most entrenched usage pattern, with 61 per cent of recent users consuming weekly or more frequently. Past six-month use declined marginally from 75 per cent to 72 per cent, though this remains substantially higher than other substances. Hydro remains the dominant form at 65 per cent, whilst bush cannabis accounts for 55 per cent of consumption.

Harm Reduction Measures Show Mixed Progress

Whilst awareness of naloxone has reached 73 per cent of respondents, actual possession remains troublingly low at just 19 per cent. Given the prevalence of polydrug use and the rising concern around overdose deaths nationally, this represents a significant missed opportunity for harm reduction.

Drug checking services show modest uptake, with 39 per cent reporting that they or someone they know had tested the content or purity of substances in the past year. However, this leaves a majority who continue to consume substances of unknown composition and strength, dramatically increasing overdose risk.

Implications for Public Health Policy

The 2025 Australian drug trends data underscores the urgent need for integrated responses addressing both substance use and mental health simultaneously. The high prevalence of depression, anxiety, and ADHD amongst regular stimulant users suggests these populations require specialised mental health interventions alongside education about substance-related harms.

The entrenchment of polydrug use patterns indicates that prevention and treatment strategies must move beyond single-substance approaches. Educational initiatives focusing on the amplified risks of combining substances, particularly alcohol and stimulants, appear critically needed given current consumption patterns.

Road safety interventions targeting this demographic could yield significant public health benefits, given the alarming rates of drug and drink driving. The accessibility and price stability of major substances suggest supply-side interventions alone will prove insufficient without complementary demand reduction and harm minimisation strategies.

Understanding the Data

The Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System has tracked stimulant use patterns across Australia since 2003, providing longitudinal insights into evolving drug markets and consumption behaviours. The 2025 findings derive from interviews conducted between April and July with participants recruited from all capital cities who had consumed ecstasy, cocaine, or other illicit stimulants on at least six days during the preceding six months.

Whilst this sentinel population cannot represent all Australians or even all people who use drugs, the consistency of the methodology over two decades makes the data invaluable for identifying emerging trends and patterns that warrant public health attention. The results should be interpreted alongside broader epidemiological data for the most complete understanding of substance use in contemporary Australia.

Looking Forward

As Australian drug trends 2025 data reveals increasingly complex patterns of stimulant use intertwined with mental health challenges, the path forward requires nuanced, evidence-based responses. The young median age of regular users, predominantly 26 years, emphasises that these patterns are affecting Australians during crucial life stages when intervention could prove most effective.

The stability of markets, combined with high accessibility and the normalisation of risky behaviours such as polydrug use and impaired driving, suggests that without significant public health investment in prevention, treatment, and harm reduction services, these concerning trends will likely persist. The question now is whether policy responses can match the scale and complexity of the challenges these findings reveal.

Source: UNSW.EDU