Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission sewage tests reveal Victorian drug and alcohol habits

VICTORIANS are the nation’s biggest users of heroin, ACIC tests reveal, with the use of deadly synthetic opiate drug fentanyl almost doubling in regional areas, which also tops the country in “hillbilly heroin” abuse.

EXCLUSIVE: TESTING the sewage of millions of Australians has revealed Victorians are the nation’s biggest heroin users — but they drink less alcohol than boozers in every other state.

An Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission report has found Victorians use 348kg of heroin a year, compared with 239kg in New South Wales, 75kg in Queensland and 38kg in South Australia.

It shows Victoria is the only state in Australia in which drinkers consumed less than the national average of 1200 standard alcoholic drinks a day per 1000 people in the past two years.

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The ACIC report also revealed sewage testing in 23 countries around the world identified Australians as the second highest users of the four most common illegal stimulant drugs.

Only American druggies snort, smoke and swallow more ice, speed, ecstasy and cocaine than Australian addicts.

The sewage of millions of Australians has revealed Victorians are the nation’s biggest heroin users. Picture: Ian Currie

Users in the US have 78 hits of the stimulants a day per 1000 people, compared with Australians at 40 hits a day, the Dutch on 37, the Swiss on 30 and Brits on 28.

The ACIC report, which is being released today, contains the results of secret wastewater testing at the inlets of 47 unidentified sewage treatment plants around the nation.

Urine and faeces excreted by more than 12.8 million Australians was tested to get the drug use figures in the report.

Wastewater testing is considered by experts around the world to be the most accurate way of measuring what illegal drugs are being taken and where they are being consumed.

ACIC chief executive Mike Phelan said police, health and other agencies used the wastewater testing results to shape their responses to the demand and supply side of Australia’s huge illicit drug problem.

“We estimate that two tonnes of methylamphetamine (mainly in its crystal form, known as ice) is consumed in Victoria each year, as well as 681g of cocaine, 326kg of MDMA (ecstasy) and 348kg of heroin,” he told the Herald Sun.

“Transnational serious and organised crime groups profit from importing, trafficking, manufacturing and selling drugs.

Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission chief executive officer Mike Phelan.

“Wastewater analysis provides a measure of demand for a range of drugs. This allows governments to effectively direct resources to priority areas and monitor the progress of demand and supply reduction strategies.”

The ACIC report, which has been seen by the Herald Sun, also revealed:

ONE part of country Victoria had the highest ice usage in Australia, with the area recording up to 120 hits a day per 1000 people, compared with the national average of 35 hits.

COUNTRY Victorians are Australia’s biggest abusers of the morphine-based painkiller oxycodone, which is known on the streets as hillbilly heroin.

USE by rural Victorians of the deadly drug fentanyl — the synthetic opiate drug which is 80 times more potent than morphine and killed legendary musician Prince in 2016 — has leapt from just under 9 hits a day per 1000 people to 17 hits since December last year.

Legendary musician Prince died after taking fentanyl in 2016 Picture: Bertrand Guay/AFP

SYDNEY and Canberra are the cocaine capitals of Australia, with more of it being snorted in the two cities than anywhere else.

PEOPLE living in Australian cities consume more cocaine and heroin than their country cousins — but Australians in rural areas take more nicotine, alcohol, ice, ecstasy, oxycodone and fentanyl than city slickers.

AUSTRALIANS consume an estimated 8.4 tonnes of methylamphetamine (mainly ice) a year as well as three tonnes of cocaine, 1.2 tonnes of ecstasy pills and 765kg of heroin.

TERRITORIANS showed their big drinking reputation is warranted with easily the highest alcohol consumption of any state, recording just less than 3000 standard alcoholic drinks a day per 1000 people — compared with the national average of 1200.

NORWEGIANS are the world’s biggest smokers of the 23 countries tested, with Australians sitting twelfth on the smoking league table.

CANADIANS and Danes are jointly the world’s biggest drinkers of the 23 nations tested, with an estimated consumption of 30 litres of alcohol a day per 1000 people.

AUSTRALIANS are ninth on the world league table of biggest drinkers on 15 litres of alcohol a day per 1000 people.

Sydney and Canberra are the cocaine capitals of Australia.

The ACIC study involves collecting raw wastewater samples at the inlets of Australian sewage treatment plants at 47 rural and metropolitan sites and then chemically analysing those samples for the presence of illegal and legal drugs.

When a drug is taken — irrespective of whether it is swallowed, snorted, smoked or injected — it is processed by the liver into metabolite.

Metabolite is then excreted into the toilet through the urine and faeces of drug users and flushed into the sewage system.

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