Aussies' demand for illicit drugs SOARS - fuelling profits for crime gangs
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission has revealed a surge in consumption of major illicit drugs after publishing its analysis of national wastewater this week.
It said overall drug consumption in Australia has hit pre-COVID levels, with 22.2 tonnes of ice, cocaine, heroin and MDMA consumed during the 12 months.
Ice consumption rose to an estimated 12.8 tonnes, the test results revealed.
Cocaine use increased almost 70 per cent, MDMA almost 50 per cent, and heroin almost 15 per cent.
The commission also said the increase in use has boosted the illicit drug trade and profits for organised criminals, with an estimated $11.5 billion being spent.
Australian Federal Police Crime Command's Assistant Commissioner Hans Koenderink said the rate at which Australians are consuming illicit drugs is a 'serious concern'.
'Australia's insatiable appetite for drugs is a serious concern, and the entire community needs to work together to examine how we can combat issues associated with demand,' he told The Daily Telegraph.
Mr Koenderink said officers had seized 38.6 tonnes of illicit drugs and drug-making chemicals – outweighing the amount consumed across the country in the same 12 months.
Opposition home affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie has labelled the findings as 'damning'.
He claimed the report proved the Labor government had 'failed to stem the flow of illicit drugs ravaging our communities'.
However, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke argued the increase in drug consumption was 'in line' with similar economies worldwide.
He praised Australian authorities for their efforts in stopping illicit drugs from entering the country.
'What is unusual about Australia is the incredible work of our agencies who are stopping more illegal drugs than are making it over the border,' Burke said.
'This is preventing a huge amount of harm, including sparing our community from the extent of the opioid crisis that we have seen in so many other countries.'
ACIC's drug specialist Shane Neilson said the country's drug market was booming due to a consumer base that is willing and able to pay higher prices than those in other global markets.
Pictured, the August 2025 National Wastewater drug monitoring program report showing usage data for each state and territory
Organised crime groups are also thought to be fuelling a rise in illicit tobacco.
However, while nicotine consumption reversed a decline in the second half of 2024, it is impossible to determine how much of it was bought on the black market.
Forensic analysts also believe the majority of the general anaesthetic being consumed is imported and illicit, with the drug's use in medical and veterinary settings less prevalent.
It's the same for cannabis, despite thousands of people being medically prescribed.
'Although the number of users of medicinal cannabis is increasing, it's small relative to the overall use of cannabis,' Mr Neilson said.
An estimated one in five, or 3.9million, Australians have used illicit drugs in the past 12 months, according to the latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey.
The survey also suggests nearly one in two Australians aged 14 and over – 10.2million people – have illicitly used a drug at some point in their lifetime.
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