Australia’s use of methamphetamine has doubled in a decade, wastewater monitoring reveals
Caitlin Cassidy
Thu 30 Apr 2026 00.08 AEST
Consumption is at a record high along with that of cocaine, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission figures show
Methamphetamine use in Australia has almost doubled in the past decade and stimulants are being taken at
record highs, new wastewater monitoring reveals.
On Wednesday evening the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (Acic) released its latest annual report after testing wastewater samples from 64 treatment plants across the country between August 2024 and 2025.
It found that consumption of crystal meth, also known as ice, was at its highest recorded level since the program began in 2016, rising from 8,405kg to 15,971kg, exceeding previous annual averages across capital cities and regional areas.
Australia became the second-highest consumer of meth in the world, trailing only the US, according to the Sewage Core Group Europe (Score) of 34 nations, which oversees international standards for wastewater testing.