Dr Jiggens

The ecstasy market

Ecstasy is the second most commonly used illicit drug in Australia after cannabis, used by 3% of the population over 14, or about 600,000 Australians. In 2008, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) declared that Australia had the highest annual prevalence of ecstasy use in the world. However, the global MDMA crisis intervened in 2009.

Between 2007 and 2010, use of ecstasy declined from 3.5% to 3% of the Australian population over 14.

Estimated market size 40 million pills in 2011.

Estimated market value $1,400 million.

The cocaine market

Of Australia’s big five illicit drug markets, the cocaine market is expanding most rapidly. Cocaine has grown in popularity at the expense of ecstasy. Seizures are on the increase. Cocaine featured in four of the five massive seizures in the final months of 2012, and 750 kilograms of cocaine were seized.

There were an estimated 390 000 recent cocaine users in Australia in 2010, but only 839 cocaine arrests, an arrest rate of 2.1 arrests per thousand users. The cannabis arrests rate of 30.9 arrests per thousand users was fifteen times higher.

Australia’s annual cocaine market is approximately 4.7 tonnes.

Estimated market value $2.5 billion.

Market size equates to about 94 million lines of coke.

The methamphetamine market

Methamphetamine use declined from 3.4% to 2.1% of the population over 14 between 2001 and 2010. However, methamphetamine arrests recorded the most substantial increase of all drug types, increasing by 62 per cent over the same decade.

The past two years witnessed an extraordinary succession of record-breaking meth seizures.

Estimated number of users is 390,000.

Estimated market size is 6.8 tonnes.

Estimated street value is $5 billion.

The cannabis market

Cannabis is Australia’s most popular illicit drug with an estimated 2 million users. About 250,000 Australians use cannabis daily.

70% of all illicit drug users are cannabis users. 70% of all illicit drug offences are for cannabis. 75% of drug seizures are for cannabis.

Market size is estimated to be between 150 tonnes and 300 tonnes of cannabis.

The value of the cannabis market is estimated at $6 billion.

Depending on how you pack your cone , the estimated market size equates to 2400 million hits from the bong.

The heroin market

A revival of opium production in Southeast Asia seems to be contributing to a revival of Australia’s heroin market. Heroin seizures are at decade-high levels.

Estimated size of the Australian heroin market is two tonnes. This equates to forty million hits.

The estimated street value is $2 billion.

Australia’s illicit drug trade

The Australian illicit drug trade consists of a market of about three million Australians, composed of a cannabis market of between 150-300 tonnes, worth about $6 billion, 2 tonnes of heroin ($2 billion), 4.7 tonnes of cocaine ($2.5 billion), 40 million ecstasy tablets ($1.4 billion), and 6.8 tonnes of methamphetamine ($5 billion), giving an estimated value of the Australian illicit drug market of about $17 billion.
About 90,000 drug offences are prosecuted each year in Australia while an estimated 2680 million drug offences are committed each year (2400 million cones, 40 million pills, 40 million hits, etc.) or about 1 prosecution per 30,000 offences; the cocaine rate is about one prosecution for every 110,000 lines of coke.