Predictions more alcohol would be drunk while people were in lockdown have not come to pass but a new ice age may be coming, as criminal supply chains find ways around pandemic restrictions.
The National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program report measures the levels of legal and illicit drug traces found in wastewater across the country to get an accurate picture of how many people are using them.
The latest wastewater monitoring study of drug use in Australia has found alcohol consumption bucked predictions and fallen in capital cities during the pandemic.Credit:iStock
For the period when tests were done in April 2021, the average consumption of alcohol in Australia’s capital cities decreased slightly compared with the testing in December 2020, and decreased further by June 2021.
The program is run by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) and conducted by researchers from the University of Queensland and the University of South Australia.
Professor Kevin Thomas, director of UQ’s Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, said alcohol consumption rose slightly in regional parts of the country, meaning the overall rate stayed largely steady.
“There may be individuals who are consuming less than previously, but there may be individuals who are consuming a lot more, this is an average over the whole population,” Professor Thomas said.
The National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program report measures the levels of legal and illicit drug traces found in wastewater across the country.
“But the overall picture is a reduction [in alcohol consumption] across the entire nation.”
Methylamphetamine, known more commonly as meth or ice, rebounded in usage over the same period.
How the pandemic affected your drinking habits
Source: Philippines Alive
