Background

Dr Monica Barratt joined the Drug Policy Modelling Program at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW, in 2014 after being awarded a National Health and Medical Research Council post-doctoral fellowship. In 2015, she joined the Burnet Institute as a Visiting Burnet Fellow. Prior to 2014, Monica worked as a Research Fellow at the National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, where she also completed her postgraduate studies.

Monica’s research concerns the social and public health implications of internet technologies for people who use illicit and emerging psychoactive drugs, and the impacts of legislative responses to drug use and drug problems. Monica is particularly interested in how we respond to the emergence of new/novel drug trends and how these trends and responses are enabled by digital technologies. She specialises in engaging hard-to-reach networks and groups in digital spaces in conversations about research and policy. Through this engagement, Monica’s work acts as a conduit between these groups and policy makers, and contributes to policy change.

Research keywords: Drugs and the internet, Drug harm reduction, Impacts of drug laws and policies, Monitoring new drug trends, Drug user participation and involvement in research, Ethics of online research, Digital research methods, Dark web, Dark net markets, Cryptomarkets, New Psychoactive Substances

Appointments

• Associate Editor at the International Journal of Drug Policy
• Editorial board member of Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy
• Editorial board member of Field Methods
• Director of Research at Bluelight.org
• Member of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy
• Member of the International Association of Internet Researchers
• Member of Harm Reduction Victoria

Positions

• 2015 - : Visiting Fellow, Burnet Institute
• 2014 - : NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow, Drug Policy Modelling Program, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW
• 2011 – 2014 : Research Fellow, National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University
• 2009 – 2010 : Research Fellow, Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre
• 2007 – 2008 : Research Assistant, Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne
• 2006 – 2011 : PhD Student, National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University
• 2003 – 2006 : Research Assistant, National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University
• 2003 – 2005 : Research Assistant, Australian Drug Foundation
• 2003 – 2004 : Research Assistant, School of Health & Social Development, Deakin University
• 2002 – 2003 : Research Assistant, School of Psychology, Curtin University

Qualifications

• 2011: PhD (Health Sciences), Curtin University
• 2003: BSc (Psychology/Sociology) (Honours), Curtin University

Publications (63)

2021 (1)

• Profile and correlates of colorimetric reagent kit use among people who use ecstasy/MDMA and other illegal stimulants in Australia.
  Peacock A, Gibbs D, Price O, Barratt MJ, Ezard N, Sutherland R, Hill PL, Grigg J, Lenton S, Page R, Salom C, Hughes C, Bruno R
  Int J Drug Policy. 2021 Jul; 97:103334

2019 (5)

• Should we smoke it for you as well? An ethnographic analysis of a drug cryptomarket environment.
  Kowalski M, Hooker C, Barratt MJ
  Int J Drug Policy. 2019 Nov; 73:245-254
• Synthesis and pharmacology of new psychoactive substance 5F-CUMYL-P7AICA, a scaffold hopping analogue of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists 5F-CUMYL-PICA and 5F-CUMYL-PINACA.
  Banister SD, Adams A, Kevin RC, Macdonald C, Glass M, Boyd R, Connor M, McGregor IS, Havel CM, Bright SJ, Ventura M, Gil C, Barratt MJ, Gerona RR
  Drug Test Anal. 2019 Feb; 11(2):279-291
• #Drugsforsale: An exploration of the use of social media and encrypted messaging apps to supply and access drugs.
  Moyle L, Childs A, Coomber R, Barratt MJ
  Int J Drug Policy. 2019 Jan; 63:101-110
• Prevalence of reagent test-kit use and perceptions of purity among ecstasy users in an electronic dance music scene in New York City.
  Palamar JJ, Barratt MJ
  Drug Alcohol Rev. 2019 Jan; 38(1):42-49
• Harm reduction strategies related to dosing and their relation to harms among festival attendees who use multiple drugs.
  Fernández-Calderón F, Díaz-Batanero C, Barratt MJ, Palamar JJ
  Drug Alcohol Rev. 2019 Jan; 38(1):57-67

2018 (11)

• Double dropping down under: Correlates of simultaneous consumption of two ecstasy pills in a sample of Australian outdoor music festival attendees.
  Grigg J, Barratt MJ, Lenton S
  Drug Alcohol Rev. 2018 Nov; 37(7):851-855
• Urine drug screening for early detection of unwitting use of fentanyl and its analogues among people who inject heroin in Sydney, Australia.
  Barratt MJ, Latimer J, Jauncey M, Tay E, Nielsen S
  Drug Alcohol Rev. 2018 Oct; 37(7):847-850
• Growing practices and the use of potentially harmful chemical additives among a sample of small-scale cannabis growers in three countries.
  Lenton S, Frank VA, Barratt MJ, Potter GR, Decorte T
  Drug Alcohol Depend. 2018 Sep; 192:250-256
• Digital era drug surveillance: Quo vadis, Australia?
  Raubenheimer JE, Barratt MJ
  Drug Alcohol Rev. 2018 Sep; 37(6):693-696
• Drug detection dogs at Australian outdoor music festivals: Deterrent, detection and iatrogenic effects.
  Grigg J, Barratt MJ, Lenton S
  Int J Drug Policy. 2018 Aug; 60:89-95
• Do people with intersecting identities report more high-risk alcohol use and lifetime substance use?
  Demant D, Oviedo-Trespalacios O, Carroll JA, Ferris JA, Maier L, Barratt MJ, Winstock AR
  Int J Public Health. 2018 Jun; 63(5):621-630
• The impact of drug policy liberalisation on willingness to seek help for problem drug use: A comparison of 20 countries.
  Benfer I, Zahnow R, Barratt MJ, Maier L, Winstock A, Ferris J
  Int J Drug Policy. 2018 May; 56:162-175
• Typology of new psychoactive substance use among the general Australian population.
  Sutherland R, Peacock A, Roxburgh A, Barratt MJ, Burns L, Bruno R
  Drug Alcohol Depend. 2018 May; 188:126-134
• Drug-related police encounters across the globe: How do they compare?
  Hughes CE, Barratt MJ, Ferris JA, Maier LJ, Winstock AR
  Int J Drug Policy. 2018 Apr; 56:197-207
• Pill testing or drug checking in Australia: Acceptability of service design features.
  Barratt MJ, Bruno R, Ezard N, Ritter A
  Drug Alcohol Rev. 2018 Feb; 37(2):226-236
• Will growth in cryptomarket drug buying increase the harms of illicit drugs?
  Aldridge J, Stevens A, Barratt MJ
  Addiction. 2018 Jan; 113(5):789-796

2017 (13)

• Well-being, problematic alcohol consumption and acute subjective drug effects in past-year ayahuasca users: a large, international, self-selecting online survey.
  Lawn W, Hallak JE, Crippa JA, Dos Santos R, Porffy L, Barratt MJ, Ferris JA, Winstock AR, Morgan CJA
  Sci Rep. 2017 Nov; 7(1):15201
• Exploring mortality among drug treatment clients: The relationship between treatment type and mortality.
  Lloyd B, Zahnow R, Barratt MJ, Best D, Lubman DI, Ferris J
  J Subst Abuse Treat. 2017 Nov; 82:22-28
• Synthetic cannabinoid use among high school seniors.
  Palamar JJ, Barratt MJ, Coney L, Martins SS
  Pediatrics. 2017 Sep; 140(4):e20171330
• Moving on from representativeness: Testing the utility of the global drug survey.
  Barratt MJ, Ferris JA, Zahnow R, Palamar JJ, Maier LJ, Winstock AR
  Subst Abuse. 2017 Jun; 11:1178221817716391
• Characterizing marijuana concentrate users: A web-based survey.
  Daniulaityte R, Lamy FR, Barratt M, Nahhas RW, Martins SS, Boyer EW, Sheth A, Carlson RG
  Drug Alcohol Depend. 2017 Jun; 178:399-40
• The utility of drug checking services as monitoring tools and more: A response to Pirona et al.
  Giné CV, Vilamala MV, Measham F, Brunt TM, Bücheli A, Paulos C, Valente H, Martins D, Libois B, Tögel-Lins K, Jones G, Karden A, Barratt MJ
  Int J Drug Policy. 2017 Jun; 45:46-47
• Increased in synthetic cannabinoids-related harms: Results from a longitudinal web-based content analysis.
  Lamy FR, Daniulaityte R, Nahhas RW, Barratt MJ, Smith AG, Sheth A, Martins SS, Boyer EW, Carlson RG
  Int J Drug Policy. 2017 Jun; 44:121-129
• Genie in a blotter: A comparative study of LSD and LSD analogues' effects and user profile.
  Coney LD, Maier LJ, Ferris JA, Winstock AR, Barratt MJ
  Hum Psychopharmacol. 2017 May; 32(3):e2599
• New psychoactive substances: Purchasing and supply patterns in Australia.
  Sutherland R, Bruno R, Peacock A, Dietze P, Breen C, Burns L, Barratt MJ
  Hum Psychopharmacol. 2017 May; 32(3):e2577
• The detection and prevention of unintentional consumption of DOx and 25x-NBOMe at Portugal's Boom Festival.
  Martins D, Barratt MJ, Pires CV, Carvalho H, Vilamala MV, Espinosa IF, Valente H
  Hum Psychopharmacol. 2017 May; 32(3):e2608
• Motivations for new psychoactive substance use among regular psychostimulant users in Australia.
  Sutherland R, Bruno R, Peacock A, Lenton S, Matthews A, Salom C, Dietze P, Butler K, Burns L, Barratt MJ
  Int J Drug Policy. 2017 Feb; 43:23-32
• A critical examination of the definition of 'psychoactive effect' in Australian drug legislation.
  Barratt MJ, Seear K, Lancaster K
  Int J Drug Policy. 2017 Feb; 40:16-25
• Commentary on Vrolijk et al. (2017): The paradox of the quality control problem.
  Barratt MJ, Ritter A
  Addiction. 2017 Jan; 112(1):101-102

2016 (9)

• Active engagement with stigmatised communities through digital ethnography
  Barratt MJ, Maddox A
  Qualitative Research. 2016 Dec; 16(6):701-719
• Everything you always wanted to know about drug cryptomarkets* (*but were afraid to ask).
  Barratt MJ, Aldridge J
  Int J Drug Policy. 2016 Jul; 35:1-6
• Correlates of new psychoactive substance use among a self-selected sample of nightclub attendees in the United States.
  Palamar JJ, Barratt MJ, Ferris JA, Winstock AR
  Am J Addict. 2016 Jul; 25(5):400-407
• Results of an international drug testing service for cryptomarket users.
  Caudevilla F, Ventura M, Fornís I, Barratt MJ, Vidal C, Lladanosa CG, Quintana P, Muñoz A, Calzada N
  Int J Drug Policy. 2016 May; 35:38-41
• Safer scoring? Cryptomarkets, social supply and drug market violence.
  Barratt MJ, Ferris JA, Winstock AR
  Int J Drug Policy. 2016 May; 35:24-31
• 'What if you live on top of a bakery and you like cakes?'-Drug use and harm trajectories before, during and after the emergence of Silk Road.
  Barratt MJ, Lenton S, Maddox A, Allen M
  Int J Drug Policy. 2016 Apr; 35:50-57
• Synthetic cannabinoids: undesirable alternatives to natural marijuana.
  Palamar JJ, Monica J Barratt MJ
  Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2016 Apr; 42(4):371-373
• Drug checking interventions can track the nature and size of the discrepancy between self-report and actual drugs consumed.
  Barratt MJ, Ezard N
  Addiction. 2016 Jan; 111(3):558-9
• Constructive activism in the dark web: cryptomarkets and illicit drugs in the digital 'demimonde'
  Maddox A, Barratt MJ, Allen M, Lenton S
  Information, Communication and Society. 2016 Jan; 19(1):111-126

2015 (6)

• Drugs on the dark net: How cryptomarkets are transforming the global trade in illicit drugs.
  Barratt MJ
  Drug Alcohol Rev. 2015 Jul; 34(4):458-9
• Lessons from conducting trans-national Internet-mediated participatory research with hidden populations of cannabis cultivators.
  Monica J Barratt, Gary R Potter, Marije Wouters, Chris Wilkins, Bernd Werse, Jussi Perala, Michael Mulbjerg Pedersen, Holly Nguyen, Aili Malm, Simon Lenton, Dirk Korf, Axel Klein, Julie Heyde, Pekka Hakkarainen, Vibeke Asmussen Frank, Tom Decorte, Martin Bouchard, Thomas Blok
  Int J Drug Policy. 2015 Mar; 26(3):238-249
• Representativeness of online purposive sampling with Australian cannabis cultivators.
  Monica J Barratt, Simon Lenton
  Int J Drug Policy. 2015 Mar; 26(3):323-326
• Global patterns of domestic cannabis cultivation: sample characteristics and patterns of growing across eleven countries.
  Gary R Potter, Monica J Barratt, Aili Malm, Martin Bouchard, Thomas Blok, Anne-Sofie Christensen, Tom Decorte, Vibeke Asmussen Frank, Pekka Hakkarainen, Axel Klein, Simon Lenton, Jussi Perala, Bernd Werse, Marije Wouters
  Int J Drug Policy. 2015 Mar; 26(3):226-237
• Attitudes of cannabis growers to regulation of cannabis cultivation under a non-prohibition cannabis model.
  Simon Lenton, Vibeke A Frank, Monica J Barratt, Helle Vibeke Dahl, Gary R Potter
  Int J Drug Policy. 2015 Mar; 26(3):257-266
• Hidden Populations, Online Purposive Sampling, and External Validity: Taking off the Blindfold
  Barratt MJ, Ferris JA, Lenton S
  Field Methods. 2015 Jan; 27(1):3-21

2014 (4)

• Gaming machine density is correlated with rates of help-seeking for problem gambling: a local area analysis in Victoria, Australia.
  Barratt MJ, Livingston M, Matthews S, Clemens SL
  Journal of Gambling Issues. 2014 Oct; 29:1-21
• "PMA sounds fun": negotiating drug discourses online.
  Monica J Barratt, Matthew Allen, Simon Lenton
  Subst Use Misuse. 2014 Jun; 49(8):987-998
• Use of Silk Road, the online drug marketplace, in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States.
  Monica J Barratt, Jason A Ferris, Adam R Winstock
  Addiction. 2014 May; 109(5):774-783
• The NBOMe hallucinogenic drug series: Patterns of use, characteristics of users and self-reported effects in a large international sample.
  Will Lawn, Monica Barratt, Martin Williams, Abi Horne, Adam Winstock
  J Psychopharmacol. 2014 Feb; 28(8):780-788

2013 (7)

• NBOMe - a very different kettle of fish . . .
  David G E Caldicott, Stephen J Bright, Monica J Barratt
  Med J Aust. 2013 Sep; 199(5):322-323
• Factors influencing mortality among alcohol and drug treatment clients in Victoria, Australia: the role of demographic and substance use characteristics.
  Belinda Lloyd, Monica J Barratt, Jason Ferris, David Best, Dan I Lubman
  Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2013 Sep; 47(9):859-867
• Synthetic cannabis: a comparison of patterns of use and effect profile with natural cannabis in a large global sample.
  Adam R Winstock, Monica J Barratt
  Drug Alcohol Depend. 2013 Jul; 131(1-2):106-111
• The 12-month prevalence and nature of adverse experiences resulting in emergency medical presentations associated with the use of synthetic cannabinoid products.
  Adam R Winstock, Monica J Barratt
  Hum Psychopharmacol. 2013 Jul; 28(4):390-393
• Participatory research with an online drug forum: a survey of user characteristics, information sharing, and harm reduction views.
  Emil Chiauzzi, Pronabesh Dasmahapatra, Kimberly Lobo, Monica J Barratt
  Subst Use Misuse. 2013 Jun; 48(8):661-670
• Kronic hysteria: exploring the intersection between Australian synthetic cannabis legislation, the media, and drug-related harm.
  Stephen J Bright, Brian Bishop, Robert Kane, Ali Marsh, Monica J Barratt
  Int J Drug Policy. 2013 May; 24(3):231-237
• Patterns of synthetic cannabinoid use in Australia.
  Monica J Barratt, Vince Cakic, Simon Lenton
  Drug Alcohol Rev. 2013 Mar; 32(2):141-146

2012 (2)

• The efficacy of interviewing young drug users through online chat.
  Monica J Barratt
  Drug Alcohol Rev. 2012 Jun; 31(4):566-572
• Silk Road: eBay for drugs.
  Monica J Barratt
  Addiction. 2012 Mar; 107(3):683

2010 (2)

• Beyond recruitment? Participatory online research with people who use drugs.
  Monica J. Barratt & Simon Lenton
  International Journal of Internet Research Ethics. 2010 Dec; 3(1):69-86
• Diverging trends in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm in Victoria.
  Michael Livingston, Sharon Matthews, Monica J Barratt, Belinda Lloyd, Robin Room
  Aust N Z J Public Health. 2010 Aug; 34(4):368-373

2008 (1)

• Patterns and incidence of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB)-related ambulance attendances in Melbourne, Victoria.
  Dietze PM, Cvetkovski S, Barratt MJ, Clemens S
  Med J Aust. 2008 Jun; 188(12):709-711

2006 (1)

• A survey of regular ecstasy users' knowledge and practices around determining pill content and purity: Implications for policy and practice.
  Jennifer W. Johnston, Monica J Barratt, Craig L Fry, Stuart Kinner, Mark Stoove, Louisa J. Degenhardt, Jessica F. George, Rebecca Jenkinson, Matthew Dunn, Raimondo Bruno
  Int J Drug Policy. 2006 Mar; 17:464-472

2005 (1)

• Victorian trends in ecstasy and related drug markets 2004: Findings from the Party Drugs Initiative (PDI)
  Mark A Stoové, Anne-Marie Laslett, Monica Barratt
  National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales Report. 2005 Aug