Hobart tops nation’s alcohol and cannabis use, study finds

Sampling the nation’s wastewater has shone a light on Tasmania’s drug use habits, legal and illegal, with the state’s capital ranking the highest in the nation for two kinds of substance consumption.

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HOBART had the highest average alcohol and cannabis consumption of any capital city, a new report says.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission will today release the tenth report of the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program, covering samples taken in October and December 2019 and February 2020.

Samples from five Tasmania wastewater treatment plants were collected an analysed for minute concentrations of drugs.

The samples showed that Hobart’s alcohol consumption was the highest of any state capital and regional use was the second-highest.

Hobart had the highest detected levels of cannabis and oxycodone use, and the second-highest use of MDMA, fentanyl and nicotine relative to other state capitals.

The report found that alcohol, nicotine, methylamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, MDMA, and heroin use was up and oxycodone and cannabis use were down in Hobart.

Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs Council of Tasmania CEO Alison Lai, said the data was useful but did not provide a conclusive picture of licit and illicit drug use on its own.

“One of the main challenges with the information is that it is used in a conclusive manner,” she said.

“They’re good insights to see if we’re seeing increase or decreases in certain substance, but then to create good health promotion strategies, it’s very difficult to use that alone.

“It tends to make some good insight, but the question is how do we then use it.”

She said that the results the legal painkiller oxycodone for example could be a reflection of high prescribing by GPs for chronic pain conditions rather than illicit use.

Australia ranked fourth highest for total estimated stimulant consumption (specifically methylamphetamine, amphetamine, cocaine and MDMA) and third highest for consumption of both methylamphetamine and MDMA.

Nicotine and alcohol remain the highest consumed drugs measured by the program for which dose data is available, with methylamphetamine remaining the highest consumed illicit drug.

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