Mapping international drug use through the world’s largest wastewater study — ScienceDaily
▻https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191023093445.htm
A seven-year project monitoring illicit drug use in 37 countries via wastewater samples shows that cocaine use was skyrocketing in Europe in 2017 and Australia had a serious problem with methamphetamine.
In a paper released today in Addiction, researchers from 41 international institutions released their findings after analysing sewage samples from 60 million people between 2011 and 2017, the largest wastewater-based study undertaken in the world.
University of South Australia chemist Dr Richard Bade — one of the lead authors — says Adelaide, Canberra and Toowoomba were the three Australian cities monitored among 120 cities worldwide.
In 2017, Adelaide’s wastewater was monitored for a week, revealing between 507 and 659 milligrams of methamphetamine per 1000 people each day. In contrast, both Canberra and Toowoomba recorded levels of between 271-331 milligrams of methamphetamine.