Aussie sewage analysis reveals methamphetamine use stagnating

CANBERRA, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The use of crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as ice, in Australia has plateaued, an analysis of the nation's Wastewater revealed on Thursday.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission's third annual National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program analyzed sewage from 54 sites in 22 cities and 32 regional towns.

It found that while ice use rose slightly in New South Wales (NSW), it was well down in Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia (WA) and the Northern Territory (NT).

Overall, regional towns in WA and South Australia had the highest rate of ice use.

"The report shows that demand for methylamphetamine has plateaued over the past year, but we know this drug continues to pose significant challenges for our community," Michael Keenan, Australia's justice minister, said in a media release on Thursday.

"Of the substances tested, meth remains the most highly consumed illicit drug nationally."

The report looked for traces of 14 different drugs and covered 14.2 million people, 61 percent of the nation's population.

In addition to ice, cocaine and MDMA (ecstasy) usage was also down on last year.

Keenan credited a series of major drug hauls as the biggest factor in the falling rate of drug use.

Australian Federal Police figures say that 3.98 tonnes of cocaine were seized by Australian authorities in the 12 months leading up to the report, up from 709 kg the previous year.

More than 1.2 tonnes of MDMA were also seized compared to 223 kg the previous year.

Despite the report being positive, Keenan said there was still work to do in educating Australians about the dangers of drug use.

"I don't think it's ever going to be the case that we can declare victory in terms of substance abuse in Australia," he said.

"Clearly we still have to get that message out, particularly to youngsters, that the abuse of illicit drugs is incredibly bad for them." Enditem