New research is challenging the widely held belief that Australia is in the grip of a rapidly growing ice crisis.

Key points: While ice use has increased among injecting drug users, it has remained stable among the general population

While ice use has increased among injecting drug users, it has remained stable among the general population But researchers are concerned about a rise in the number of people in hospital for amphetamine-related problems

But researchers are concerned about a rise in the number of people in hospital for amphetamine-related problems Concentrated ice use in country areas can make the problem seem worse than it actually is

Two studies from the University of NSW's National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) indicate that while the use of ice has increased significantly among injecting drug users, it has remained stable among the general population.

NDARC director Michael Farrell said the centre annually surveyed two groups in Australia — injecting drug users and users of ecstasy and other drugs.

He said this year researchers only saw a significant (6 per cent) increase of ice use in the heavily addicted injecting drug group where heroin remained the drug of choice

"The word epidemic simply means a drug problem spreading within a small group at a rapid rate, so that could be happening," he said.

"But what we don't think there is what we call a pandemic, so that's like there is a large number of, a large outbreak of large numbers of users."

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But what has researchers concerned is a marked rise in the number of people presenting to hospital for amphetamine-related problems.

Senior NDARC researcher Amanda Roxburgh said that since 2001 the number of people needing hospital treatment because of amphetamine-related issues had doubled.

"We're definitely seeing an upward trend in the harms related to methamphetamines, so there were more people coming into hospital for problems related to amphetamine use," she said.

"And although the numbers are low, we have seen an upward trend in methamphetamine-related deaths.

"But when we really look closely at a lot of that data, it seems to be what's happening is that those people who are running into problems with their use, by and large, already appear to be engaged in the illicit drug market and already be experiencing problems with their drug use."

Concentrated use in country areas makes problem seem worse

Among the group of non-injecting drug users surveyed by the NDARC team, there was a significant overall decrease in the use of amphetamine-based substances.

Ms Roxburgh said ecstasy and speed use fell among this group, while the use of crystal methamphetamine or ice remained steady.

"We've seen no change in terms of the numbers of people in Australia reporting recent methamphetamine use, but what we have seen is a shift in people using the powder form to crystal methamphetamine," she said.

"So we have seen a little bit of a shift across to crystal meth, but again we're not seeing any change in the numbers using it in the general population."

Ms Roxburgh said concentrated use in country areas made the problem seem worse than it is.

"I think in a lot of cases we've had a lot of reports from regional and rural areas, and when you've got small communities where perhaps there's increased availability of crystal methamphetamine and you can see that use spreading out in those communities, I think it is a bit more noticeable when those groups start coming in for treatment and presenting with problems," she said.

"Unfortunately our [surveys] don't recruit from those areas ... and we're looking at doing more work in those areas to try and figure out what's going on in those rural and regional areas."

The NDARC study will be presented today at the National Drug Trends Conference.