Australia remains entrenched in its consumption of illicit substances, with cannabis maintaining its position as the most widely used drug, despite notable increases in methamphetamine, cocaine, and nicotine use.
According to the latest report from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s national wastewater drug monitoring program, released on Thursday, the findings underscore a concerning trend in drug consumption across both regional and capital city centers.
During the period from December 2023 to February 2024, wastewater samples from 56 sites across the country, representing approximately 55% of the population (about 14.1 million people), were analyzed. The report reveals significant insights into Australia’s drug habits compared to international standards.
Australia ranked fourth out of 34 nations worldwide for illicit stimulant use from March to May 2023, and it recorded the second-highest per capita consumption of methamphetamine among 29 participating countries during the same period. Additionally, Australia ranked third among 20 nations for cannabis consumption.
“This data confirms Australia’s significant per capita consumption of illicit stimulants, placing us prominently on the global stage, particularly with methylamphetamine dominating our illicit stimulant use,” the report stated.
The report highlighted regional disparities, noting that Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia reported rates of methamphetamine use well above the national average. Meanwhile, capital cities recorded higher cocaine consumption compared to regional areas, with Sydney standing out for the highest mean consumption.
December 2023 marked record-high consumption levels across multiple categories: cocaine in both capital cities and regional areas, methamphetamine in capital cities, and nicotine in regional areas. Despite significant law enforcement seizures, the average consumption of methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, ketamine, alcohol, and tobacco increased across both urban and regional sites.
While capital city use of oxycodone and cannabis declined from August to December 2023, consumption rates for alcohol and heroin saw increases. Notably, cannabis remained the most consumed drug by a wide margin, with consumption in December 2023 being 3.6 times higher than methamphetamine and 18.6 times higher than cocaine.
Overall, while cannabis use has shown a decrease, it continues to dominate Australia’s drug landscape. The report underscores the ongoing challenges posed by illicit drug consumption and the need for continued monitoring and intervention efforts to address these trends effectively.
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