Australians Taking Record Amounts of Ketamine, but Less Alcohol and Tobacco

Australians are using record amounts of the drug ketamine, prompting warnings from experts that it may be increasingly adulterated with dangerous substances as dealers try to keep up with rising demand. The latest National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program (NWDMP) report, commissioned by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, looked at wastewater samples taken at 59 sites in April and June. Researchers at the University of Queensland and the University of South Australia analysed the samples for the presence of drugs. As expected, the heaviest concentrations found were of legal drugs: alcohol and nicotine. However, consumption of both has gradually declined nationally over the past two years, with some geographic exceptions....