Australia becomes second largest consumer of methamphetamine globally, wastewater monitoring reveals

Methamphetamine use in Australia has almost doubled in the past decade and stimulants are being taken at record highs , new wastewater monitoring reveals. On Wednesday evening the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (Acic) released its latest annual report after testing wastewater samples from 64 treatment plants across the country between August 2024 and 2025. chart It found that consumption of crystal meth, also known as ice, was at its highest recorded level since the program began in 2016, rising from 8,405 tonnes to 15,971 tonnes, exceeding previous annual averages across capital cities and regional areas. Australia became the second highest consumer of meth in the world, trailing only the US, according to the Sewage Core Group Europe (Score) of 34 nations, which oversees international standards for wastewater testing. chart Cocaine consumption also reached record highs nationally – with 7,985 tonnes consumed in 2024-25 – as did ketamine . Heroin consumption reached record levels in cities. Acic’s chief executive, Heather Cook, said the wastewater findings showed “persistent, elevated demand for major drugs across jurisdictions” and pointed to “clear signals of emerging substances entering the Australian market”, including synthetic opioids . Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email “The data reinforces the critical need for sustained, coordinated national responses,” Cook said. …