FDS Insight Magazine Aug - Oct 2022

17 Australia dominates in global consumption of methylamphetamine Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (30/6/22) Today the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) released Report 16 of the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program (the Program) – focusing on 12 licit and illicit drugs: nicotine, alcohol, methylamphetamine, amphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, MDA, oxycodone, fentanyl, heroin, cannabis and ketamine. Covering a population of 13 million Australians, this report compares consumption data from previous reports with results obtained from regional and capital city sites in December 2021 and capital cities in February 2022. The report presents patterns of substance use across Australia, showing differences in consumption levels between capital cities and regional centres, within and between states and territories, and nationally. This report also includes updated 2021 data from the Sewage Core Group Europe (SCORE), which covered Europe, Asia and Oceania. The SCORE results highlight the domination of our domestic stimulant market by methylamphetamine – Australia had the highest methylamphetamine consumption per capita compared with 24 other countries. ‘Much of the harm that Australians suffer at the hands of organised crime is due to illicit drugs. Serious and organised crime groups profit from the importation, manufacture, trafficking and sale of drugs that cause harm to the community,’ Michael Phelan APM, CEO of the ACIC said. ‘Through wastewater analysis we gain insight into the serious and organised crime groups that supply illicit drug markets. Regular and near-real-time wastewater reporting enables the ACIC and our partners to detect and respond to increasing drug threats in a timely way and monitor the impact of responses.’ Results of note in the latest report include: • Of the drugs measured by the Program with available dose data, alcohol and nicotine continue to be the most consumed substances in December 2021 and methylamphetamine the most consumed illicit drug. • In December 2021, per capita capital city consumption of methylamphetamine, cocaine and MDMA all exceeded regional consumption for the first time since April 2017. • During the reporting period, the illicit stimulant markets showed early signs of increased