Cocaine seized
IN PHOTO: Police officers carry packages containing seized cocaine after their arrival at the police airport in Lima September 1, 2014. Peruvian police seized a record 7.6 tonnes of cocaine in a quiet coastal town last week, arresting seven Peruvians and two Mexicans suspected of trying to smuggle the load to Europe as coal, according to Peru's Interior Ministry. REUTERS/Enrique Castro-Mendivil (PERU - Tags: CRIME LAW DRUGS SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

The most expensive places in the world to buy cocaine and ecstasy are Australia and New Zealand. The results of the Global Drug Survey 2015 indicate that drug users in both countries pay more for than others in the U.S. or any European country.

The survey invites users to answer a series of questions online about their use of drugs. The Global Drug Survey has gathered about 102,000 responses from more than 50 countries.

Australians who responded to the survey reported paying an average of AU$304 for a gram of cocaine. New Zealand residents pay slightly less than $150. Aside from Australia and New Zealand, the next most expensive country for cocaine was Switzerland. However, the price in Switzerland is less than half of that in New Zealand.

For drug users who want high quality cocaine, Australia and New Zealand are the best places. Australians and New Zealanders said in the survey that they pay more for premium cocaine. Drug users can buy cocaine for $368 in Australia and $326 in New Zealand.

Brazil is the one country where survey respondents reported being able to buy cocaine at a cheaper price than any other country. A gram of cocaine of average quality costs $13 while the purer version costs $22.

Aside from cocaine, the survey also revealed that Australians and New Zealanders pay more for ecstasy or MDMA powder than in other countries. The Guardian reports that the results of the survey are not different from the previous Global Drug Survey. New Zealand residents could expect to pay more for both cocaine and ecstasy more than any other country.

In a previous report, Australia’s parliamentary joint committee on law enforcement reported that there is an “extreme difference” between the Australian and international drug prices. According to the deputy commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, the price difference was due to high demand.

However, Dr Adam Winstock, who administers the Global Drug Survey, said the high costs of drugs in the country are due to the difficulty and expense of importing drugs in Australia to a small number of potential customers.

“Getting anything through customs is really hard. They’ve got really strict border control,” said Winstock. He added that small markets in Australia would mean drug organisations do not find it cost-effective to invest in dealer networks.

(To report problems or leave feedback on this article, contact: r.su@ibtimes.com.au)

RELATED STORIES