Australians use illicit drugs worth $5.8 billion in 2023-24

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) report released on Friday showed that the use of drugs by Australians has increased by 34 per cent between August 2023 and August 2024 over the previous year. Australians have consumed 22.2 tonnes of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and MDMA, known commonly known as “Ecstasy”.

The commission found that the consumption of cocaine increased by 69 per cent over the previous year, MMA by 449 per cent, methamphetamine by 21 per cent, and heroin by 14 per cent. The “estimated street value” of the drugs consumed amounted to 11.5 Australians dollars or 5.8 billion US dollars.

The figures for the consumption of drugs was inferred through the analysis of wastewater, which is said to be the regular way of detecting the amounts of drugs. There has been increase in the use of drugs after the slump during COVID-19. The commission said there is a “recovery of these illicit drug markets following the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.”

According to the commission, “transnational and domestic serious and organized crime groups have rapidly re-established and expanded their operations” after the pandemic. The commission maintains an objective tone and does not raise an alarm over the extensive use of drugs across Australia.

Its wastewater analysis was carried out in major Australian capital cities and regional sites, and covered 57 per cent of the country. The commission head Heather Cook said crime groups are exploiting the demand for illicit drugs, and the groups are “maximizing profit at the expense of community’s security and well-being.”

It is perhaps more useful not to press the panic button over the increase in the use of drugs. The figures that could be estimated from the wastewater analysis can only give a hint of how much of the drugs are being consumed. The demographics remain elusive unless the location of the wastewater analysis should point to the people who are likely consuming the drugs.

It would of course be difficult to track the drug users. The more effective way of curbing drugs is by busting the criminal groups who indulge in the drug trade. The commission is keeping under wraps as it were how it wants to tackle the problem. But the commission is right in emphasizing that it is a matter of community concern.

Again, it is a much better approach than chasing the individual drug users and planning for their de-addiction and rehabilitation. These remedial measures will have to be done at the community medical levels. More importantly, it becomes necessary to protect the communities because the criminal groups trading in illicit drugs could unleash street violence. Establishing the hard facts about the drug use is an important first step.

The consumption of illicit drug use is a global phenomenon, spanning from the Latin American countries like Colombia, Mexico and spreading through the United States. There is another trail across south-east Asia, and a third emanating from Afghanistan. While the police forces in all these countries are fighting the illegal drug syndicates, they are outflanked because of the political and business linkages.

It would be necessary for the Australian commission to track the criminal groups and the routes they follow to smuggle drugs into Australia. The question that arises is whether Australia is facing an epidemic of drug addiction, and whether it calls for an emergency response at the national level.

The commission does not point to any of the sensational conclusions. It states the figures which is an important thing in itself. The communities, the local and national authorities should be aware of the facts, and it is for them to think of a counter-plan to deal with the issue.