Tasmania has the highest average regional nicotine and alcohol consumption in the nation, a new report has revealed.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The state also had the highest levels of “hillbilly heroin” consumption of the country’s capital cities, and some of the highest levels of regional heroine consumption.
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission released the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program’s fourth report on Thursday.
It found Tasmania had the highest capital city consumption levels of oxycodone, a painkiller nicknamed “hillbilly heroin”, and fentanyl, nationally in December 2017, and some of the highest levels of regional heroin consumption.
However, the state showed comparatively low consumption levels of many other illicit substances tested, commission chief executive Michael Phelan said.
Along with Western Australia, the state reported below the national average of cocaine consumption.
RELATED STORIES:
The report found that of the substances tested in December, nicotine and alcohol remained the most consumed in Tasmania.
“The National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program provides a clear picture of changing trends in the consumption of methylamphetamine and 11 other drugs across Australia,” Mr Phelan said.
“Armed with this information, government, health and law enforcement agencies can better target policy and operational responses and reduce the impact of drugs in our society.”
The report also provided “conservative estimates” of the weight of methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA and heroin consumed nationally in a year.
“We estimate that over 8.3 tonnes of methylamphetamine is consumed in Australia each year, as well as over three tonnes of cocaine, 1.2 tonnes of MDMA and 700 kilograms of heroin,” Mr Phelan said.
“Such estimates can then be compared with other data, such as the weight of drugs seized by law enforcement, to further enrich our collective understanding of these drug markets and identify the most effective supply, demand and harm reduction measures.”
Samples were collected during October and December last year for the report, testing for 12 substances.
Forty-five wastewater sites were monitored nationally in December, covering 54.3 per cent of Australia’s population – about 12.7 million people.
“We will continue to engage with academia, industry and community organisations to expand use of the data, focus responses in high risk areas, and monitor the effectiveness of demand, supply and harm reduction initiatives,” Mr Phelan said on Thursday.
