Police will not be carrying a life saving treatment for fentanyl overdoses in Victoria, a state considered to have the capital for use of the deadly opioid drug.
The latest wastewater testing shows that Melbourne has the highest levels of heroin, ketamine, and fentanyl consumption among the major cities, with the regional areas of Victoria leading the way in heroin use and second for fentanyl use.
The finding were released from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC).
“Despite large seizures of some illicit drugs by law enforcement, the average consumption of methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, MDA, fentanyl, and ketamine has increased in both capital city and regional sites. The sole beneficiaries of this increased consumption are serious and organised crime groups which make significant profits from their illegal activities,” said acting ACIC CEO Matt Rippon.
Naloxone is a treatment that can save people from an overdose on fentanyl, which is considered one of the most potent opioids on the market.
The deadly drug has fueled an epidemic across North America, killing 110,000 people in the United States last year. Now experts warn fentanyl is making its mark down under.
Major Illicit Drug Consumers
Considering the harm powerful opioids like fentanyl have had on the U.S., Crime Stoppers Victoria Chief Executive Stella Smith has said the drug could devastate communities here in Australia as crime syndicates smuggle it in.“We’ve already seen the high-harm that illicit drugs such as ice can have on our community, with fentanyl the latest drug to potentially destroy the lives of individuals and families,” Ms. Smith said.
“On an almost weekly basis we are seeing significant drug busts by authorities. This highlights the level outlaw motorcycle gangs and other organised crime groups are willing to go to as they attempt to harm Victorians through their greed of making a profit.”
Drug dealers have been known to mix fentanyl—which is up to 100 times stronger than morphine—into cocaine and heroin in order to raise profits.
Ms. Smith has called on the entire community to help stop such a trade.
“From large shipments being paid for in cash, to colleagues becoming secretive, interested in restricted areas or showing off extravagant items, even a small piece of information could ultimately lead to more arrests and a safer community,” Ms. Smith said.
The ACIC report also found that Australians are the sixth largest consumers of illicit substances out of 28 countries monitored between March and May 2022.
“Australia had the third highest methylamphetamine consumption per capita compared with 24 other countries. We had relatively low consumption of other drugs compared to the remaining ‘SCORE’ countries with the exception of cannabis, where we ranked sixth of 16 countries,” said Mr. Rippon.
The report also says meth remains the most harmful illegal drug in the country and argues that a multidimensional approach that targets supply, demand, and harm reduction is needed to reduce drug use.
