Triangulating wastewater analysis and a survey of drug consumption in regional Australia: A pilot study

Wastewater analysis (WWA) is a new tool that is being used to monitor changes in illicit drug markets. Application in the Australian context has started to show that drug consumption in regional areas often exceeds that in urban areas. The key limitation is that WWA can tell what quantity of drugs is consumed: not who is using them or in what circumstances, information that is critical to interpret the data and inform policy and practice. This study will thus conduct the first study to triangulate wastewater analysis (WWA) and a bespoke prospective survey of drug consumption in a regional Australian town – namely Murray Bridge - using a 90 day anonymous and encrypted self-report daily survey of drug consumption and purchasing. This will permit valuable new insights into the Murray Bridge regional drug market and the unmet health and social needs and set the gold-standard for future WWA and drug survey analyses within and outside of Australia.