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New research has revealed a substantial increase in GHB-related ambulance attendances across Australia, with Victoria recording the highest rate and Greater Geelong emerging as a regional hotspot.
Using data from the world-first National Ambulance Surveillance System (NASS), Monash University and Turning Point researchers found that GHB-related ambulance attendance rates increased substantially across multiple Australian jurisdictions.
Victoria experienced a 67 per cent rise from 2,211 to 3,693 GHB-related ambulance attendances between 2022 and 2023, while Tasmania saw a 346 per cent increase. Victoria experienced the highest rate of 65.8 attendances per 100,000 population, with attendances peaking among people aged 25-34.
In a new study published in Drug and Alcohol Review, researchers also found Greater Geelong had emerged as a regional hotspot, ranking as the 4th highest local government area (LGA) statewide for GHB-related ambulance attendances between January 2015 and March 2024.
Geelong accounted for 31 per cent of all GHB-related ambulance attendances outside metropolitan Melbourne and surpassed metropolitan LGAs such as Stonnington and Yarra, which contain high concentrations of nightclubs and bars, scenes traditionally associated with GHB use.
Researchers found GHB-related ambulance attendances in Greater Geelong increased more than tenfold in five years, rising from fewer than 20 in 2018 to 200 in 2023.
Dr Rowan Ogeil, the paper's Senior author, Strategic Lead of the Turning Point's National Addiction and Mental Health Surveillance Unit and Senior Research Fellow at Monash University, said the study supports recent reports from emergency department staff in Geelong about rising GHB presentations.
"Regional communities often have limited access to specialised alcohol, drug and other health and support services, meaning ambulance responses may be the only help available", he said.
The new study also found that attendances in regional Victoria were 31 per cent more likely to present with more severe outcomes compared with attendances in metropolitan areas.
Dr Ogeil said people who use GHB were more vulnerable to serious harms, due to the drug's dangerously small margin between intended effects and overdose.
"The difference between the amount to reach the desired effect and an overdose can be very small," Dr Ogeil said.
"Our research team has previously shown that this leads to high rates of overdose or loss of consciousness in GHB users."
Dr Ogeil said the data highlighted the urgent need for targeted harm reduction and early intervention responses across several states and in regional hotspots like Geelong.
"The scale of the problem extends beyond ambulance attendances to hospital admission data, which shows national GHB-related hospitalisations rising from 569 in 2015-16 to 2,200 in 2022-23, almost doubling from the previous year."
The research also identified seasonal patterns in Greater Geelong, with attendances peaking during summer months, coinciding with the music festival season.
Dr Ogeil said the seasonal trends presented clear opportunities for targeted interventions including drug checking services and health promotion activities.
"These patterns show us where and when people need support most. Rather than waiting for emergency situations, we need accessible harm reduction services that can engage with people before harms escalate," he said.
Dr Ogeil stressed the need for investment in both immediate support and prevention measures. These should include harm reduction services, early intervention programs, and ensuring support is available across all areas - not just major cities.
"This highlights why we need surveillance systems that can track acute harms, not just population-level use patterns," he said.
"The findings underscore how the National Ambulance Surveillance System can identify drug-related harm patterns that other monitoring might miss, particularly in regional areas with limited data sources."
The Victorian study analysed 16,971 GHB-related ambulance attendances between January 2015 and March 2024. The national data covers ambulance attendances from January 2021 to March 2024 across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.
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