Using quantitative wastewater analysis to measure daily usage of conventional and emerging illicit drugs at an annual music festival

Introduction and Aims: Wastewater analysis provides a non-intrusive way of measuring drug use within a population. We used this approach to determine daily use of conventional illicit drugs [cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)] and emerging illicit psychostimulants (benzylpiperazine, mephedrone and methylone) in two consecutive years (2010 and 2011) at an annual music festival. Design and Methods: Daily composite wastewater samples, representative of the festival, were collected from the on-site wastewater treatment plant and analysed for drug metabolites. Data over 2 years were compared using Wilcoxon matched-pair test. Data from 2010 festival were compared with data collected at the same time from a nearby urban community using equivalent methods. Results: Conventional illicit drugs were detected in all samples whereas emerging illicit psychostimulants were found only on specific days. The estimated per capita consumption of MDMA, cocaine and cannabis was similar between the two festival years. Statistically significant (

Substance use outcomes following treatment : findings from the Australian Patient Pathways Study

Background and Aims: Our understanding of patient pathways through specialist Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) treatment and broader health/welfare systems in Australia remains limited. This study examined how treatment outcomes are influenced by continuity in specialist AOD treatment, engagement with non-AOD community services, and mutual aid, as well as exploring differences between clients who present with a primary alcohol problem compared to those presenting with a primary drug issue. Method: In a prospective, multi-site treatment outcome study, 796 clients from 21 AOD services in Victoria and Western Australia completed a baseline interview between January 2012 and January 2013. 555 (70%) completed follow-up assessment of subsequent service use and AOD use outcomes 12-months later. Results: Just over half of the participants (52.0%) showed reliable reductions in use of, or abstinence from, their primary drug of concern. This was highest among clients who reported meth/amphetamine (66%) as their primary drug of concern and lowest among those who reported alcohol (47%), with 31% achieving abstinence from all drugs of concern. Continuity of specialist AOD care was associated with higher rates of abstinence than fragmented AOD care. Different predictors of treatment success emerged for clients with a primary drug problem as compared to those with a primary alcohol problem; mutual aid attendance (OR=2.5) and community service engagement (OR=2.0) for clients with alcohol as PDOC, and completion of the index treatment (OR=2.8) and continuity in AOD care (OR=1.8) for those with primary drug issues. Conclusion: This is the first multi-site Australian study to include treatment outcomes for alcohol and cannabis users, who represent 70% of treatment seekers in AOD services. The results suggest a substantial proportion of clients respond positively to treatment, but that clients with alcohol as their primary drug problem may require different treatment pathways, compared to those with illicit drug issues, to achieve desirable outcomes

Outlaw motorcycle gangs

This chapter takes a close look at crimes by organisations which are not legally established; such as outlaw motorcycle gangs and gangs that are founded on ethnicity and indigeneity. The authors discuss how Australia and New Zealand have responded to these organisations and what outcomes resulted from these responses. They provide the history of the groups and their culture. In doing so, they address the misconceptions about the nature and operation of the “gangs” especially in relation to their participation in serious criminal activity

Illicit Performance and Image Enhancing Drug Markets in the Netherlands and Belgium

This chapter explores the illicit production and supply of performance and image enhancing drug (PIED) markets in Belgium and the Netherlands. Aside from the potential health risks related to the use of these substances, a concern is that the majority of PIEDs are not legally obtained through a physician, by means of a prescription, but instead are illegally purchased on the black market. The illicit supply of PIEDs will be the focus of this chapter. This chapter provides a historical account of the development of illicit PIED markets in Belgium and the Netherlands. Next, a categorization of supplier types will be provided based on the profession of PIED suppliers. This will be followed with an examination of the methods and motives of PIED dealers, using bodybuilding as a case study. It is highlighted that many types of suppliers are involved in the trade of PIEDs and that they are driven by multiple and often overlapping reasons (financial and non-financial motives). In the final section, the link between the illicit PIED market, organized crime and professional sport is critically explored. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the overall findings