Cocaine detections across Australia up 45% year-on-year: post-holiday data confirms sustained workplace risk
Melbourne, Australia – 21 April 2026 – Cocaine detections in Australian workplaces have risen 45.4% year-on-year, with Q1 data confirming the increase has continued beyond the holiday period. Amphetamine-Type substances (ATS) remain the most prevalent drugs detected and continue to climb nationally, pointing to a workplace risk profile that is becoming less seasonal and more sustained.
These findings are fresh from the Q1 2026 Imperans Report from The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA), Australia’s leading workplace drug testing provider. TDDA’s quarterly snapshots analyse real workplace drug testing results from across the country, empowering employers to engage in proactive workplace risk management.
Cocaine detections are up 45.4% YoY, rising from 5.7% in Q1 2025 to 8.3% in Q1 2026, with increases confirmed across all states except Western Australia. While detections in Q1 2026 (8.3%) have pulled back from Q4 2025 (10.9%), this retreat reflects seasonal patterns rather than a genuine reversal of the underlying trend.
“We warned employers in Q4 that cocaine detections had nearly doubled over the course of the year, and Q1 data shows that trend did not end with the holidays,” says Glenn Dobson, CEO of TDDA. “We did see a holiday spike followed by a partial correction but cocaine detections have not returned to previous baseline levels. Year-over-year, detections are up across almost every state, which may point to a steady and increasingly entrenched supply network.”
“ATS has also continued to climb nationally after the holiday period,” says Dobson, “and we are particularly elevated levels in Western Australia and South Australia that require immediate attention.”
Among all positive TDDA results, the most prevalent substances detected were:
- Cocaine: up 45.4% YoY (from 5.7% to 8.3%)
- ATS, including methamphetamine: up 28.3% YoY (from 41.5% to 53.3%)
- THC (Cannabis): down 9.1% YoY (from 45.6% to 41.5%)
- Opioids, including oxycodone: down 12.5% YoY (from 15.6% to 13.7%)
Across all substances, 3.0% of screens conducted in Q1 2026 indicated the presence of drugs, a marginal increase from Q4 2025.
Regional highlights
Beyond national figures, TDDA also tracks regional fluctuations in substance use to help employers better manage workplace safety risks through targeted testing, education, and early intervention.
Cocaine
Increases have been confirmed across all states except Western Australia.
Notably, Queensland was the only state where cocaine detections did not decline following the holiday period, increasing 10.1% quarter-on-quarter from 5.5% in Q4 2025 to 6.0% in Q1 2026.
- South Australia: up 128.2% YoY (from 4.3% to 9.7%)
- Queensland: up 99.7% YoY (from 3.0% to 6.0%)
- New South Wales: up 59.5% YoY (from 7.6% to 12.1%)
- Victoria: up 44.6% YoY (from 10.2% to 14.7%)
ATS
ATS are the most frequently detected substances nationally, present in 53.3% of positive tests. Detections have risen 11.8% against Q1 2025 and a further 9.2% against Q4 2025.
Unlike cocaine, ATS did not retreat after the holiday period, with the national figure continuing to climb from Q4 into Q1.
- Western Australia: up 65.5% YoY (from 55.6% to 91.9%)
- South Australia: up 46.1% YoY (from 44.7% to 65.3%)
- Victoria: up 13.1% YoY (from 44.5% to 50.4%)
- Queensland: up 7.5% YoY (from 39.1% to 42.1%)
- New South Wales: up 2.4% YoY (from 36.3% to 37.1%)
Full regional data is available here: YoY Report QoQ Report
Recommendations
TDDA recommends that employers regularly review their drug and alcohol policies to ensure they reflect the latest state-level trends.
“Cocaine does not announce itself the way some other substances do,” says Dobson. “Employees using cocaine may present as confident and high performing, even as their judgement, concentration and impulse control are compromised. In workplaces where people operate heavy machinery, drive vehicles, or carry out safety-sensitive tasks, that is not just a risk to the individual. It is a risk to everyone around them. By the time the problem becomes visible, it may have already been present for some time.”
In states where cocaine and ATS detections are rising, employers are encouraged to strengthen measures specifically addressing those substances. Implementing a targeted testing programme including pre-employment, regular and random testing is one of the most effective tools for early warning and intervention.
If a testing programme is not yet in place, or has not been reviewed for some time, addressing this should be a priority. A more comprehensive approach combines this with ongoing training and education to ensure managers are equipped to have early, supportive conversations with employees, rather than waiting for an accident to happen.
The earlier the intervention, the better the outcome for the safety and health of your people.
Methodology: Tests from 19 sterile clinic locations and over 50 mobile clinics throughout Australia were used. All tests were taken between 1 January and 31 March 2026. Data from pre-employment, post-incident, regular and random testing has been combined. Testing methods included urine and oral fluid screening. Data is reported into, anonymised, and aggregated using TDDA’s Imperans system, a bespoke IT platform for testing services, data recording, and reporting. It represents a snapshot of drug trends across Australasian workplaces and industries.
Total figures on testing volumes or testing results by industry and region are commercially sensitive.
TDDA drug tests screen for amphetamines; benzodiazepines; cocaine; methamphetamine; opiates and opioids; cannabis; and synthetic drugs.
ENDS
For more information, or to speak with a TDDA spokesperson, please contact:
Richelle Gillett, Giant Squid Inc
0418 781 610 rg@giantsquidinc.com.au
About the Imperans Report
The Imperans report addresses an information gap for business. Government organisations like Safe Work Australia and state regulators such as WorkSafe Victoria and SafeWork NSW, publish incident reports, but they do not quantify when substances are a factor. Reports build businesses’ understanding of substance use patterns regionally and temporally so that they can anticipate and reduce workplace risks. TDDA provides over 100,000 tests every year.
About The Drug Detection Agency
The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA) is a leader in workplace substance testing with more than 300 staff, 90 mobile health clinics, 65 locations throughout Australasia. TDDA was established in 2005 to provide Australian and New Zealand businesses with end-to-end workplace substance testing, education and policy services. TDDA holds ISO17025 accreditation for workplace substance testing in both AU and NZ. Refer to the IANZ and NATA websites for TDDA’s full accreditation details. As members of the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA) and the California Narcotic Officers Association (CNOA), TDDA closely follows and acts on global drug trends. Learn more about TDDA by visiting https://tdda.com/.