{
  "id": 7901005,
  "title": "Is Australia’s ‘voracious’ illicit drug use behind organised crime violence? It’s complicated",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/is-australias-voracious-illicit-drug-use-behind-organised-crime",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-16T23:53:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Conversation AU",
    "slug": "the-conversation-au",
    "url": "https://theconversation.com/is-australias-voracious-illicit-drug-use-behind-organised-crime-violence-its-complicated-292109"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sydney is currently experiencing an increase in organised crime violence, including the recent murders of two men who were mistaken for members of the underworld. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett has called for a conversation about the link between drug use and organised crime in Australia. However, the relationship between illicit drug use and organised crime is complex and not fully understood.\n\nMeasuring drug use in Australia is challenging, as there is no single definitive measure. Police data show a moderate decrease in overall drug use and possession offences, but specific drugs have seen varying trends. Ecstasy use has dropped by 74%, while cannabis use has decreased by 27%. However, amphetamine-related offences have increased by 14%. Overall, about 17.9% of Australians have used an illicit drug in the past 12 months, up from 12% in 2019, with the rise driven largely by hallucinogens such as psilocybin mushrooms. Stronger ties to organised crime groups, such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, have shown no significant increase in use.\n\nMethamphetamine consumption has reached a ten-year high, while cocaine use has also risen by 21%. Wastewater monitoring programs provide further insights, but they measure volume, not people, and cannot determine the number of users or their frequency or purity of use. The available data present a more complicated picture than Barrett suggests, and the escalation of organised crime violence could be due to various factors, including the cost-of-living crisis, global instability, and the recruitment of young people into criminal networks.",
  "summary": "The escalation of organised crime violence could be due to a multitude of reasons – including illicit drug consumption.",
  "key_points": [
    "Illicit drug use in Australia has risen to 17.9% of the population.",
    "Ecstasy use dropped 74%, but amphetamine-related offences increased 14%.",
    "Methamphetamine consumption reached a ten-year high."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The surge in organised crime violence in Australia may not be directly linked to the country's illicit drug use, as trends in drug use and types of drugs are varied and complex.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Crikey",
        "title": "The real numbers behind Australia’s migration debate",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/the-real-numbers-behind-australias-migration-debate",
        "published": "2026-09-17T02:15:32.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}