Australians Spent $9.3 Billion on Illicit Drugs

Australian Federal Police display more than one tonne of MDMA (ecstasy) tablets seized from Melbourne's waterfront at the Australian Federal Police Headquarters April 15, 2005 in Melbourne, Australia. The seizure, which has an approximate street value of $250 million, is Australia's largest and one of the worlds biggest ever single detections of the street-ready drug. Sean Garnsworthy/Getty Images

Australians spent about $9.3 billion last year on cocaine, meth, MDMA, and heroin, according to an examination of sewer water.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s latest analysis of wastewater, released on Feb. 20, shows how much of each of the drugs are being consumed around the country, underlining the size of the drugs black market.

The commission estimates more than 9.6 tonnes of methylamphetamine was consumed in Australia in the year to August 2018, along with four tonnes of cocaine, 1.1 tonnes of MDMA, and more than 700 kilograms of heroin.

Cocaine and meth consumption was up in the second year of the testing program, with cocaine use rivalling that of meth in both Sydney and regional NSW.