title: New psychoactive substance use among regular psychostimulant users in Australia, 2010-2015.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the rates and patterns of new psychoactive substance (NPS) use amongst regular psychostimulant users (RPU) in Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained from the 2010-2015 Ecstasy and related Drugs Reporting System (EDRS), which comprised a total cross-sectional sample of 4122RPU.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Recent use of 'any' NPS increased from 33% in 2010 to 40% in 2015, although trends of use differed significantly across NPS classes. The correlates associated with NPS use also varied across NPS classes: frequent (i.e. weekly or more) ecstasy users were more likely to report recent phenethylamine use; LSD users were more likely to report recent phenethylamine and tryptamine use; and daily cannabis users were more likely to report recent synthetic cannabinoid use than RPU who had not used NPS. 'Poly' NPS consumers were found to be a particularly high risk group and were significantly more likely to be younger, male, report daily cannabis use, report weekly or more ecstasy use, report recent LSD use, have higher levels of poly drug use, have overdosed on any drug in the past year, and to have engaged in past month criminal activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NPS use has been established as a significant and ongoing practice amongst our sample of RPU. It appears that RPU seek out NPS with similar properties to the illicit drugs that they are already consuming, with poly NPS consumers found to be a particularly high risk group.
authors.affiliation: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. Electronic address: rachels@unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sutherland
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine (Psychology), Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peacock
authors.affiliation: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Whittaker
authors.affiliation: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roxburgh
authors.affiliation: National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, Shenton Park, WA 6845, Australia.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lenton
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine (Psychology), Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.affiliation: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Kerryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.affiliation: National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, Shenton Park, WA 6845, Australia.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Lucinda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine (Psychology), Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: Raimondo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bruno
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000470:Alkaloids / Q000009:adverse effects; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000009:adverse effects; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010627:Phenethylamines / Q000009:adverse effects; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D014363:Tryptamines / Q000009:adverse effects; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D002186:Cannabinoids; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D010627:Phenethylamines; D014363:Tryptamines; C023665:cathinone
keywords: NPS; New psychoactive substances; Phenethylamines; Psychostimulants; Synthetic cannabinoids; Synthetic cathinones; Tryptamines