Melbourne is named the heroin capital of Australia as junkie zombies gather to shoot up and leave syringes near playgrounds
- Sewerage water tests reveal high concentration of heroin in Melbourne
- Heroin use skyrocketed to historically high levels in capital and regional areas
- Highest levels of oxycodone opiate painkiller found in regional Victoria areas
- Ketamine testing included for first time with high amounts found in regional Vic
Melbourne has been named the heroin capital of Australia after sewerage water tests revealed a high concentration of the drug in Victoria, with levels soaring above any other state in the country.
A report by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) found Victoria had the highest traces of heroin detected in the wastewater its capital city and regional areas in December 2020.
Samples were taken from 11 wastewater sites in Victoria during December 2020 and February 2021, with heroin use skyrocketing to historically high levels.
A large gathering is pictured outside a safe injecting room in North Richmond in Melbourne’s inner-east. Locals have complained about groups congregating in high numbers outside the facility not wearing masks
Witnesses reported as many as 20 people congregating in a park for a birthday party near the inner-city injecting room
Regional Victoria also led the nation in oxycodone use after testing found consumption levels were the highest compared to any other state in the country.
For the first time the illicit drug Ketamine was included in the testing program, with data from December 2020 revealing Victoria’s regional areas clocked the highest traces in their wastewater systems.
The analysis found opioid use increased after the first Covid-19 lockdown hit Melbourne, but levels have since declined and stabilised as the state endured a second wave of restrictions in July last year.
The National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program reports on drugs of concern across the most populated regions of the country, covering 57 wastewater sites of Australia’s population – approximately 13.1 million people.
‘Understanding drug consumption at a population level supports effective allocation of resources to priority areas’ ACIC CEO Mr Michael Phelan told the Herald Sun.
‘In addition to the benefits of longitudinal analysis of drug trends, the (wastewater analysis) program is structured in a way (that) ensures it can evolve in line with trends in drug markets.’
‘This is why the ACIC has now added ketamine to the lists of substances monitored by the program.’
The report comes after Meth and heroin-addled drug addicts sparked fury last year in an inner-city Melbourne neighbourhood by shooting up in public, defecating in the street and gathering in large groups despite the city’s strict COVID-19 lockdown rules.
Residents in North Richmond reported used syringes being discarded on sidewalks despite the suburb having its own safe injecting room where drug users can shoot up under supervision.
Pictured: Syringes left discarded in North Richmond. The suburb has its own bespoke safe injecting room where drug users can shoot up under supervision
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