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Australia’s use of methamphetamine has doubled in a decade, wastewater monitoring reveals

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) released its 2024-25 wastewater monitoring report, which found methamphetamine use in Australia has almost doubled over a decade to record levels, making the country the second highest global consumer of meth behind the US. The report also noted record high consumption of cocaine, ketamine, and heroin, with the total market value of major illicit drugs reaching $14.3bn; regional areas showed higher meth, cannabis, and oxycodone use compared to capital cities, while urban areas had greater cocaine, heroin, and ketamine consumption.