CANBERRA, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Consumption of illicit drugs in Australia hit record-high levels in 2024, wastewater analysis has revealed.
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) on Friday published the 24th report from the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program, which was established in 2016 to measure drug use by analyzing wastewater from sites across Australia.
According to the latest report, Australians consumed 22.2 tons of methylamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and MDMA in the 12 months to August 2024, an increase of 34 percent from the previous 12 months and the highest level of consumption of the four major illicit drugs in the program's history.
The report said that Australians consumed a record-high 12.8 tons of methylamphetamine, also known as methamphetamine, in the year to August 2024, compared to 10.5 tons in the preceding 12 months.
Cocaine consumption increased by almost 70 percent from 4.03 tons to a record-high 6.8 tons in the same period.
ACIC Chief Executive Officer Heather Cook said in a statement that the consumed volume of methylamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and MDMA had an estimated street value of 11.5 billion Australian dollars (7.4 billion U.S. dollars), with methylamphetamine accounting for 8.9 billion Australian dollars (5.7 billion U.S. dollars).
"Serious and organized crime groups exploit Australia's high demand for illicit drugs and are focused on maximising profit at the expense of the community's security and wellbeing," she said.
ACIC said its modelling suggests that increasing consumption of methylamphetamine, cocaine and MDMA will continue through to 2027, while the heroin market is not expected to change significantly for the next two years. ■
