MDMA, ketamine and heroin now Melbourne’s biggest drugs used in ACIC wastewater report

New data has revealed Victorians are using more illicit party drugs than others across Australia even though there’s less cocaine around. See why.

Melbourne has been named the ecstasy capital city of Australia, according to the latest National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program.

Regional Victoria had the second highest use in the country for of nicotine, MDMA, heroin and the prescription drug ketamine, the report by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) found.

Ecstasy use dropped by 16 per cent despite remaining the highest use in the country with 194kg used last year.

The report found Sydney is the cocaine capital of Australia, Adelaide is the methylamphetamine capital, and regional Queensland is the highest user of ketamine. Darwin had the highest use of nicotine in the country and consumed the most cannabis, while Tasmania took the most fentanyl.

The ACIC report which is researched with data collected by the Universities of Queensland and South Australia showed overall in Victoria there was a 13 per cent jump in heroin use and

an eight per cent rise in the use of methylamphetamine from 2021.

Cocaine use in Victoria fell by 21 per cent. The ACIC believes the drop is because of the huge drug busts that have taken place around the country last year, not because of any drop in demand for the drugs.

There have been a string of drug busts across Victoria in the past year including a “Breaking Bad” drug smuggling ring caught with nearly 500kg of illicit drugs worth tens of millions of dollars, including 120kg of cocaine hidden inside frozen chickens.

WA Police seized 2.4 tonne of cocaine in Australia’s biggest drug bust limiting supply around the country. Picture: WA Police

But the biggest drug bust in Australian history has been pulled off by WA Police late last year after a joint undercover operation with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) led to the seizure of 2.4 tonnes of cocaine worth about $1 billion dollars. That cocaine was likely headed for distribution across the country.

In 2021 in more than 25 tonnes of drugs with an estimated street value of $5 billion were seized and burned.

The report shows that Australians spent $10 billion on drugs in 2022 buying more than 14 tonnes of just four drugs – methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA (ecstasy), and heroin. It was a slight decrease on the previous year.

Around the country methylamphetamine remains the most consumed drug in Australia by a big margin, and heroin use also increased.

A 76-YEAR-OLD suspected drug mule was been charged after a $22 million ice bust at Melbourne Airport. Supplied: Australian Border Force

MDMA, MDA heroin, oxycodone, fentanyl, cannabis and ketamine increased in regional areas. Across the country alcohol, nicotine, meth and cocaine decreased.

But the use of MDMA, MDA, heroin, oxycodone, fentanyl, cannabis and ketamine increased across capital cities.

Acting ACIC CEO Matt Rippon said the drug use is concerning in both economic cost and the actual expenditure.

He said the cost to the community is enormous through associated incidents including drug fuelled “violence, road trauma, property crime, illness, injury and deaths”.

The report is the 18th by the ACIC monitoring 58 wastewater plants and covering about 57 per cent of the population.

The report compiled results from 9075 samples for 12 drugs including nicotine, alcohol, heroin, methylamphetamine, amphetamine, cocaine, MDMA and MDA, prescription drugs with abuse potential oxycodone, fentanyl, as well as cannabis and ketamine.

A snapshot of drug use across the nation between April and August 2022 showed a record low in cocaine use and a huge drop of 41 per cent in ecstasy.

The drop in ecstasy is attributed to organised crime groups shifting to producing more methylamphetamine.

For free advice on drug and alcohol treatment services call the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015.

Originally published as MDMA, ketamine and heroin now Melbourne’s biggest drugs used in ACIC wastewater report