Adelaide became the capital of methamphetamine. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation Photo)
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia`s "2017 National Wastewater drug Monitoring Program (National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program)" tested sewers of more than 14 million Australians and found that methamphetamine was the most prevalent illegal drug in Australia. Adelaide residents average consumption ranks first in Australia, becoming Australia`s methamphetamine capital.
Adelaide residents took 80 doses of methamphetamine a day, the highest recorded figure in eight years, the report said. The average daily intake of urban residents in the capital of Australia is only 30 doses per thousand people. Western Australia is the state with the highest methamphetamine intake, with a daily intake of 60 doses per thousand people.
(Peter Malinauskas), director of mental health and drug abuse prevention in South Australia, said that to address the problem, government had allocated A $8 million this year to support police in drug control and increase the number of beds in drug treatment centres. He said the government had a clear understanding of the addictive nature of methamphetamine and its highly criminal nature. He announced that from the beginning of 2018, in the remote areas of South Australia, there will be 18 additional drug rehabilitation beds.
Wyatt (Jason Wyatt), a professor at the (University SA) School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of South Australia, said the survey also showed that drug use had begun to stabilise. He said methamphetamine use had been on an upward trend 12 months ago, but had not been the case in the past 12 months. Instead, there were signs of a slight decline.
Noel (Stephen Knoll), a spokesman for South Australia`s opposition party police, said the findings showed that government needed to do more to address drug abuse and said more attention should be paid to the balance between prevention and law enforcement. "this has become a cultural issue," he said. "We have to change people`s behavior and the best way is to get them involved in drug programs."
In addition, South Australia`s goverment urged the federal goverment to pay more attention to the drug problem, calling it a national problem, not a state problem.
