Impacts of COVID-19 and associated restrictions on people who use illicit stimulants in Australia: findings from the Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System 2020.

COVID-19 and linked restrictions have likely impacted drug supply, use and harms and challenged drug treatment/harm reduction services. People who use drugs may be at increased risk of COVID-19 transmission because of the social nature of drug procurement/use. There have been urgent calls for evidence regarding the experiences of people who use drugs during the pandemic to inform public health efforts. EDRS is an illicit drug monitoring system, operating in Australia since 2003, including annual interviews with people who regularly use ecstasy/other illicit stimulants. Recognising the critical need for information, EDRS was adapted to collect important data on people’s experiences during COVID-19. This output presents findings from 100 QLD EDRS interviews from 25/4-30/6/2020.