It recently released a national wastewater drug monitoring report based on wastewater testing conducted between December 2022 and February 2023 at 57 treatment plants in capital cities and regional areas, which revealed some intriguing insights into drug use trends.
Drug abuse on the rise in Australia
Despite notable drug busts, the report highlighted a surge in illicit drug use during the summer period. The average consumption of drugs such as methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, and ketamine saw an alarming increase. The report noted how the trend reminds of the “ongoing threat posed by serious and organised crime groups and their responsiveness to perceived market opportunities”
Cities ranked on the basis of drug consumption per capita
The commission ranked cities based on per capita drug consumption. Sydney emerged as the city with the highest per capita consumption of cocaine, MDMA, and nicotine. Melburnians, on the other hand, topped the list for heroin, fentanyl, and ketamine use. Adelaide ranked highest for methylamphetamine use, while Darwin showed the highest levels of alcohol consumption. Hobart registered the highest consumption of cannabis and oxycodone.
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Among regional areas, New South Wales residents exhibited the highest consumption of cocaine and fentanyl, while Queensland had the highest consumption of MDMA and oxycodone. Regional South Australia had the highest MDA usage, Victoria led in heroin consumption, and Western Australia reported the highest consumption rates of cannabis and methylamphetamine.
Consumption of some drugs decreased
The report indicated an increase in the use of methylamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, MDMA, MDA, and ketamine during the warmer months. However, heroin, oxycodone, and cannabis consumption decreased during this period.
It must be noted that Australia ranks sixth among 28 countries in terms of illicit drug consumption, based on data collected by the Sewage Core Group Europe from March to May 2022. Additionally, Australia ranks third in methylamphetamine use and sixth in cannabis use per capita.
Matt Rippon, the acting chief executive of the commission, stressed that these findings should remind Australians that their illicit drug habits contribute to funding organised crime. “The sole beneficiaries of this increased consumption are serious and organised crime groups which make significant profits from their illegal activities,” Rippon said.
