Adelaide is revealed as the WORLD’S meth capital – despite experts claiming ice use in Australia is dropping
- Figures showed Adelaide to have the highest level of methamphetamine use
- Study looked at 120 major cities in the world and Adelaide topped the list of use
- Canberra and Toowoomba were other Australian cities to take part in the study
Adelaide has the highest use of methamphetamine out of any other city in the world, according to the latest figures.
Research found that the city had between 507 and 659 milligrams of ice per 1,000 people every day, in comparison with Canberra and Toowoomba which had between 270 and 331mg.
The study analysed waste water samples from 120 major worldwide cities between 2011 and 2017.
The only foreign city to come close to Adelaide was Seattle, with 418mg on average over the three years the city’s wastewater was tested, according to ABC News.
Adelaide has the highest use of methamphetamine out of any other city in the world, according to the latest figures
In March of this year the Australian Federal Police uncovered 18 kilograms of methamphetamine in Adelaide (pictured) with a street value of $13.5 million
No other US cities took part in the investigation.
Despite the startling figures University of South Australia research associate Richard Bade told the publication methamphetamine use was actually on the decline.
‘To put into a bit of context, the study was from 2017 and in fact since that time methamphetamine use in South Australia has actually been on the decrease,’ Dr Bade said.
‘And there’s been plenty of initiatives around that reduction of methamphetamine use in Adelaide.’
A more recent study of wastewater in Queensland found the drug fentanyl was present in the water system in country Queensland sparking fears Australia could be heading towards an opioid crisis.
Queensland Network of Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies chief executive Rebecca Lang told The Courier Mail the presence of the drug in water systems was a troubling sign for the future.
‘With the availability of prescription opioids we’ve seen quite significant increases in prescribing for a number of years now – not with any kind of level of problems that they’re seeing in the United States but certainly still enough to be a cause for concern,’ she told the publication.
The study found in 2017 the wastewater in Adelaide (pictured) had between 507 and 659 milligrams of methamphetamine per 1,000 people every day
Ms Lang said over the past 20 years drug dealers had been channeling ice into regional Queensland which she fears has created drug routes that would be ‘here to stay’.
Compounding the fears of a possible new drug epidemic is the fact parts of regional Queensland are already in the grip of an ice epidemic.
‘A point of methamphetamine, which would be enough to last a single person … would be somewhere between $50 and $70, so when you think about that as a night out, it is cheaper than a night out on alcohol,’ Ms Lang said.
Ms Lang said at first it looked promising that many ice and crystal methamphetamine users seemed to be cutting back on the drug realising the damage it causes.
Despite the startling figures University of South Australia research associate Richard Bade told the publication methamphetamine use was actually on the decline (stock image)
In March of this year the Australian Federal Police uncovered 18 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in modified 4WD recovery winches in Adelaide.
It is estimated 18 kilograms of methamphetamine has a street value of $13.5 million which equates to almost 180,000 street deals of methamphetamine.
AFP Superintendent Gail McClure said the organised crime group, allegedly responsible for this importation, was blatant in how they conducted business.
‘This is a great result for the Adelaide community. The organisers behind this importation have been brazen in the methods used to bring these drugs into Australia. They have made no effort to change how they conceal the drugs,’ she said.
‘We have seen importations such as this in 4WD recovery winches before