Cocaine use in the ACT has surged to its highest-recorded levels in the aftermath of the coronavirus lockdown.
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Samples detected in Canberra's wastewater found despite a drop in consumption at the height of the lockdown in April, cocaine soared to historic highs by June when restrictions were beginning to ease in the capital.
The latest report from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission revealed drug consumption declined across a range of substances in April at the lockdown's peak in Canberra.
MDMA, oxycodone and fentanyl use were down in the ACT compared to levels seen in December 2019.
However, wastewater samples analysed in June showed MDMA use, along with oxycodone and fentanyl, increased again in the months following the lockdown, but were still slightly down on 2019 levels.
Heroin was one of the few substances to record an increase at the beginning of the lockdown in Canberra, but use dropped dramatically in June to some of its lowest levels in almost five years.
Methylamphetamine, also known as the drug ice, was one of the only substances to record a spike in use in the ACT during April.
For legal substances monitored in the report, less alcohol was consumed during the initial stages of the lockdown compared to December levels, while nicotine consumption rose
The commission's chief executive Michael Phelan said coronavirus restrictions had caused a massive impact on the illegal drugs market.
"The results show that all drugs monitored by the program continue to be available in Australia," Mr Phelan said.
"While low levels of consumption for some drugs during COVID-19 are perhaps of little surprise, record high consumption levels are also recorded.
"Average regional consumption of methylamphetmaine increased to the highest level recorded by the program in April."
Samples of wastewater were collected at 55 treatment plants across the country, which covers more than 13 million Australians.
Despite highly inflated prices in some areas of the country, the report found the cannabis market was not negatively impacted to the extent of other drug markets.
"This is likely because almost all of the market is supplied from domestic sources and cultivation occurs nationally," the report said.
Experts feared the COVID-induced lockdown would lead to a decrease in heroin consumption which would force users to instead use illegal channels to access pharmaceutical opioids as a replacement.
However, wastewater data showed no evidence of the change.
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"While per-capita consumption of heroin in capital city sites increased from December 2019 to April 2020, it decreased considerably to June 2020," the report said.
At the same time, perhaps paradoxically and for reasons yet to be determined, heroin consumption in regional Australia increased to record levels."
Meanwhile the consumption of fentanyl and oxycodone continued its trend of a decrease in use during the past 12 months.