Abstract
Background and aims: Few studies of the impacts of COVID-19 public health measures on drug markets and drug use patterns have used longitudinal data. We aimed to examine whether COVID-19 measures were associated with increases in methamphetamine price, decreases in methamphetamine use frequency, and subsequent changes in secondary outcomes of other drug use frequency in metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Design: Longitudinal analysis framework was used from a longitudinal cohort of people who use methamphetamine
Setting: Victoria state, Australia.
Participants: 185 VMAX study participants who reported a methamphetamine purchase after the onset of the pandemic were used for the price paid analysis. Methamphetamine or other drug use frequency analysis was performed using 277 participants who used of methamphetamine during the pandemic or in the year prior to the pandemic.
Measurements: Price paid per gram of methamphetamine derived from the most recent purchase price and most recent purchase quantity. Frequency of methamphetamine and other drug use measured as the average number of days per week used in the last month.
Findings: Compared to pre-COVID-19 period, methamphetamine prices increased by AUD351.63 (p-value
Conclusion: We found that the system shocks resulting from COVID-19 were associated with major changes in the methamphetamine market in Victoria and changes in use of the drug.
Design: Longitudinal analysis framework was used from a longitudinal cohort of people who use methamphetamine
Setting: Victoria state, Australia.
Participants: 185 VMAX study participants who reported a methamphetamine purchase after the onset of the pandemic were used for the price paid analysis. Methamphetamine or other drug use frequency analysis was performed using 277 participants who used of methamphetamine during the pandemic or in the year prior to the pandemic.
Measurements: Price paid per gram of methamphetamine derived from the most recent purchase price and most recent purchase quantity. Frequency of methamphetamine and other drug use measured as the average number of days per week used in the last month.
Findings: Compared to pre-COVID-19 period, methamphetamine prices increased by AUD351.63 (p-value
Conclusion: We found that the system shocks resulting from COVID-19 were associated with major changes in the methamphetamine market in Victoria and changes in use of the drug.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1557-1568 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Addiction |
| Volume | 118 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| Early online date | 14 Mar 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 14 Mar 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We are grateful to the participants for generously contributing their time to this study, together with the staff of the community-based organisations that assisted in recruitment. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the contribution to this work of the Victorian Operational Infrastructure Support Program. We acknowledge the support and assistance given by the members of the VMAX study team with participant recruitment, follow-ups and interviewing. Open access publishing facilitated by Curtin University, as part of the Wiley - Curtin University agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.
Funding Information:
The VMAX study was established with a grant from the Colonial Foundation and is now funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC, 1148170, 2003255). Funding information
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Addiction published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society for the Study of Addiction.
