CANBERRA, Nov 7 (NNN-AAP) – Use of the illicit drug, ketamine, in Australia, has risen to a record high, analysis of drug levels in sewage, has found.
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) today published the 23rd report from the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Programme.
Based on data collected from 59 sites across the country, in Apr and Jun this year, the report revealed that, there was record-high excretion of ketamine in both capital cities and regional areas in Apr.
Used medically for induction and maintenance of anesthesia, ketamine is also used illicitly as a recreational drug.
The report found that cocaine use was lower in capital cities and regional areas in Apr, than in Dec, 2023, but remained higher than prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regional consumption of the opioid oxycodone and fentanyl fell to record low levels in Apr.
Cannabis remained the most consumed illicit drug in Australia.
“Much of the harm Australians suffer at the hands of organised crime is due to illicit drugs. These harms may include negative impacts and consequences on the physical and mental health of users and their families, related acts of violence, including serious assaults and murder, property crime and dangerous traffic offences,” ACIC Chief Executive, Heather Cook, said in a statement.
“Serious and organised crime groups are highly capable, well-resourced, resilient and increasingly transnational. They threaten our community safety, they threaten the integrity of our borders, and they threaten and undermine our financial systems,” Cook said.– NNN-AAP
