Extent of Queensland ice use revealed in wastewater analysis

AN ANALYSIS of Queensland wastewater has revealed a shocking increase - and it’s not just in the cities.

ICE use has soared in cities and regional towns, according to scientists who have tested the amount of the illicit drug found in Queensland sewers.

A study in the Medical Journal of Australia shows ice levels found in the urine of users flushed into the wastewater system have increase fivefold since testing began in 2009.

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Professor Wayne Hall from the University of Queensland said that he had never seen such a sharp increase in the reading of an illicit drug .

“We’ve done lots of testing to look at levels of MDMA, cannabis, cocaine and other drugs, however we have never seen an increase like this over this period of time,” he said.

Prof Hall said it was rare that the level of drug use in urban areas was mirrored in regional areas.

The findings are consistent with those from South Australia between 2010 and 2013 and are reflected in the amount of methamphetamine seized by police in Queensland.

Researchers also said traditional party drugs such as MDMA and cocaine recorded much higher levels on weekends than recreational drugs such as cannabis, which showed steady levels throughout the week.

The study collected 498 samples between 2009 and 2015 in the city, while 712 were collected in the regional area between 2010-15.

“Consumption increased 4.8 times in the metropolitan area between 2009 and 2015, and 3.4 times in the regional city between 2010 and 2015,” the researchers wrote.

The journal, the publication of the Australian Medical Association, also calls for a doubling of investment in alcohol and drug treatment.

“Fewer than half of those seeking alcohol and other drug treatment in Australia are currently able to access appropriate treatment,” it says.

“And all the more concerning because we know treatment works.’’