Australia: Illicit Drug Data Report 2018–19

Interesting report, and with regard to cannabis, importation is up, prices have stayed stable over the last decade making Australia still one of the better places on the planet to sell black market cannabis.

The figures don’t include 2020 and when 2020 numbers arrive we’d expect to see a sharp spike in seizures and therefore usage as we’d expect , as with other markets, illegal or regulated the pandemic will have encouraged consumption patterns

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s Illicit Drug Data Report 2018–19 provides a comprehensive snapshot of the Australian illicit drug market and is the 17th edition in the series.

It continues to inform policy and operational decisions across government, industry and the not-for-profit sector and focuses efforts to reduce the impact of illicit drugs on our communities

In 2018–19, there were 112,474 drug seizures and 153,377 illicit drug arrests. 26.6 tonnes of illicit drugs were seized nationally with methylamphetamine remaining one of the most consumed and seized illicit drugs in Australia.

The report provides an overview of changes since the previous reporting period and also includes longer term trends in key market indicators—including border detections, national seizures and arrests, price, purity, forensic analysis, wastewater analysis and drug user survey data—which inform and enhance our understanding of Australia’s illicit drug markets and the ability to identify changes within them.

HIGHLIGHTS

The numbers say regulate to us

Over the last decade, during which time the Australian population increased around 13 per cent:

the number of national illicit drug seizures increased 77 per cent (from 63,670 in 2009–10 to 112,474 in 2018–19)
the weight of illicit drugs seized nationally increased 241 per cent (from 7.8 tonnes in 2009–10 to 26.6 tonnes in 2018–19)
the number of national illicit drug arrests increased 80 per cent (from 85,252 in 2009–10 to 153,377 in 2018–19).

Cannabis PP48-59 of the report

PRICE

At the street level, the price of cannabis is generally measured as a ‘deal’ (approximately 1 gram).

Nationally, the price for 1 gram of hydroponic cannabis head remained relatively stable over the last decade, ranging between $20 and $100 in 2009–10 to between $10 and $100 in 2018–19.

In 2017–18 the reported price ranged from $20 to $50.

The national median price for 1 gram of hydroponic cannabis head also remained relatively stable over the last decade ($25 in 2009–10 and $23.70 in 2018–19).

In 2017–18 the national median price was $25. Nationally, the price for 1 ounce (28 grams) of hydroponic cannabis head remained relatively stable over the last decade, ranging between $250 and $500 in 2009–10 to between $200 and $500 in 2018–19.

In 2017–18 the reported price ranged between $200 and $450. The national median price for 1 ounce of hydroponic cannabis head decreased over the last decade, from $350 in 2009–10 to $302.50 in 2018–19, an increase from $280 in 2017–18.

Nationally, the price for a single mature hydroponic cannabis plant remained relatively stable over the last decade, ranging between $2,000 and $5,000 in 2009–10 to between $3,000 and $5,000 in 2018–19.

In 2017–18 the reported price ranged between $2,000 and $5,000.

The price range for 1 gram of resin decreased over the last decade, from between $40 and $50 in 2009–10 (reported in New South Wales and Queensland) to between $25 and $50 in 2018–19 (reported in Queensland and Tasmania). The 2018–19 price remained unchanged from 2017–18.