Adelaide on top for methamphetamine use, regional SA high on cannabis
Marijuana use soared across South Australia during lockdown, giving our state the unenviable mantle of the country’s cannabis capital, new tests show.
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South Australia has the highest average capital city and regional consumption of methamphetamine in the nation, the latest wastewater testing has revealed.
And regional SA also has the highest average consumption of cannabis in the nation as the drug surged in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The wastewater testing results, released by the Australian Crime Commission, also reveal that Adelaide and regional SA had the highest estimated average consumption of fentanyl in the nation.
The results show that despite significant price spikes in many drugs because of the pandemic – including methamphetamines – consumption increased between December last year and April this year.
The increases have come despite several major operations conducted by SA police that have dismantled methamphetamine and cannabis trafficking rackets and the seizure of large quantities of the drugs over the past year.
ACIC chief executive Michael Phelan said restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted illicit drug markets and shaped the results in the report.
“Price variations during COVID-19 have not been a reliable indicator of consumption levels,’’ Mr Phelan said.
“There have been some price increases, particularly at the wholesale level, although a number of the increases have been within historical ranges.
“Even in locations where considerable price increases have been reported, consumption of some drugs has increased.”
The wastewater testing program monitors effluent at nine sites in SA – four in Adelaide and five at regional sites.
The report states when expressed in doses per day, nationally methamphetamine had the highest consumption of all illicit drugs, both in capital city and regional sites.
It states Adelaide had the highest capital city level while SA regional sites, along with some in NSW and Victoria all had some of the highest use.
SA police yesterday said recent action targeting organised criminal networks involved in the manufacture and trafficking of methamphetamine “is likely to have contributed to the reduction in methamphetamine consumption.’’
“In particular the discovery of two large clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in May and August of this year is likely to have impacted upon the supply of the drug in Adelaide,’’ a spokesman said.
“Cannabis use increased across South Australia, likely due to an excess of supply due to a reduced ability to sell the drug interstate.’’
The report states during the monitoring period, instances of record-high drug consumption have been reported, including regional methylamphetamine and heroin consumption and capital city cocaine, cannabis and nicotine consumption. There was record-low regional consumption of fentanyl and capital city consumption of oxycodone and alcohol during the period monitored.
It states the population-weighted average consumption of alcohol, MDMA, oxycodone and fentanyl decreased in both capital city and regional sites between December 2019 and April 2020, while increases in the population-weighted average consumption of heroin in both capital city and regional sites were reported during the same period.
The population-weighted average consumption of nicotine and cocaine in capital city sites and methylamphetamine and cannabis in regional sites also increased over the same period.
“Operational activity in which the ACIC has been involved with its partners indicates that many serious and organised crime groups in the major drug markets continued to operate on a ‘business as usual’ basis throughout the pandemic, importing, manufacturing and trafficking illicit drugs” Mr Phelan said.
The report states the consumption of cannabis has been measured in Adelaide since 2011 and “small but steady increases have occurred’’ since then but particularly between 2017 and 2019.
“The increase in consumption since COVID-19 can clearly be seen, with highest consumption levels being detected in June 2020,’’ it states.