Detox, rehab and needle exchange workers say more people are overdosing in Western Australia because drug users have switched to "downers" like heroin in place of methamphetamines, which became more expensive and harder to get due to the state's border closure.
Frontline workers also say a dangerous shift in the drug landscape in Western Australia has led to more people using benzodiazepines and other tranquillising prescription drugs ordered from the internet.
The number of people seeking rehab for alcohol addiction has also increased dramatically at one Perth rehab centre, along with the use of a nerve pain drug rarely reported in recreational use in the past.
WAAC, which operates needle exchange and outreach services across Perth, has seen an increase in heroin use and overdoses since the pandemic started.
Gavin Brunini, team leader of needle and syringe programs at WAAC, said a change in the types of drugs being used coincided with the decreased availability of meth when the West Australian border was closed.
"We have seen clients switching from using one substance to another substance," Mr Brunini said.
The organisation has also seen increased demand for the anti-overdose drug Naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Young people ordering prescription drugs online
A youth detox centre in the city, which provides support to young people from across the state, has also seen changes in the types of drugs being used.
Jacob Davis, the program manager at Mission Australia's Drug and Alcohol Youth Service (DAYS), said the detox centre had to adapt as more young people started using prescription drugs.
"They started using the benzodiazepines, as in Xanax, Clonazepam, young people drinking cough syrup," Mr Davis said, adding that more than half the client referrals DAYS receives are now linked to those drugs.
He said young people were often sourcing the drugs online using black market apps.
Mr Davis said although meth use led to more "chaotic" behaviour, prescription tranquillisers such as benzodiazepines carried a higher risk of overdose.
He said young people detoxing from prescription drugs required 24-hour medical supervision because there was a risk of seizure during withdrawal.
"We've certainly adapted the service to work with the changing climate over the last couple of years," Mr Davis said.
More addictions to nerve-pain medication, alcohol
Jeff Claughton, chief executive of the Fresh Start Recovery Program in Subiaco, said his service had also noted an increase in people using benzodiazepines.
He said there was also a concerning increase in the use of a prescription drug called Lyrica, which is designed to treat nerve pain.
"We're certainly seeing a lot of abuse of it whereas, pre-pandemic, it was rare to see it being used in that way," Mr Claughton said.
But Mr Claughton said the most dramatic change had been the increase in the number of people seeking treatment for alcohol addiction.
"I think with people being locked down at home, not able to go to venues and so on, I think there was a significant increase in the use of alcohol at home," he said.
"It's certainly been the stories that we've heard from people … they've gone from having a wine or two at night to a bottle or two at night and really got quite worried about it."
He said he expected the effects of the pandemic on drinking behaviour to continue long-term.
Policing the border
Fresh Start had not seen any significant increase in treatment for opioid or heroin addiction, he said.
In March last year Premier Mark McGowan said reduced drug importation into Western Australia was a "very welcome side effect" of the border closure.
"If we can work out how we can keep that reduction in drug usage in place within the law that's something the [Police] Commissioner and I will work on," Mr McGowan said at an election campaign event at the time.
WA Police declined to be interviewed about what measures, if any, had remained in place at the border after it reopened.
WA Health did not respond to questions before ABC's deadline.
