It’s cheaper to get on the Jerry Springers than it is to down a few frothy cold Germaine Greers. That’s the prevailing thought behind new data that shows Australia to be a statistical anomaly when it comes to both the cost of illicit drugs and their rate of consumption.
New data shows that drug prices in Australia are generally among the world’s highest, but in a trend-bucking stat, our rate of consumption is also among the highest globally. Ordinarily stats dictate a correlation between high rates of consumption and low prices, and vice versa. But Australia seems to exist as the exception to that rule.
Additionally, health experts are suggestion that the high price of alcohol is a leading factor in the increased rate of bikkie chewing drug consumption in the country.
Alison Ritter, director of the modelling program at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre suggested that “Substitution between substances, whether they’re legal or illegal, is very common. That’s just sensible consumer behaviour at one level. It’s no different to the choices one makes when shopping in a supermarket.“
Meanwhile over at Monash University‘s School of Psychology and Psychiatry, a gentleman seemingly named specifically for this article in Dr. Duff stated “The thing that comes through again and again is that party drugs, particularly ecstasy, are cheaper relative to alcohol. Young people are thinking the average night out at a bar can be $100 without even trying, whereas a couple of tablets of ecstasy is $40 or $50.“
Australia ranks first in the world for per capita usage of ecstasy, second for opioids, third for amphetamines, fourth for cocaine, and seventh for cannabis. This, despite ranking as the second most expensive country to buy amphetamines, the fourth for cocaine, fifth for methamphetamines and eighth most expensive for both cannabis and ecstasy.
Party on, Wayne.
Photo: Randy Quan via Getty Images.
via SMH.
