While rates of methamphetamine use in Australia have remained fairly stable at 2.1% over the past ten years, there has been a shift among people who use the lower-grade powdered form of methamphetamine (speed) to using the higher-grade crystal form (ice) in recent times.
Ice is much stronger than speed and has the potential to cause greater problems.
Purity and availability have increased, while the price of both speed and ice has decreased. The number of people using weekly or more has grown, which is an indication of dependence.
As a result, Australia has seen significant increases in ambulance call-outs, hospital visits, people seeking treatment and police arrests related to methamphetamine use.
Australia, The Conversation, August 28, 2016
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