Shania Shayal Prasad 
[Source: Fiji Police Force/Facebook]
The Fiji Police Force and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission have launched a new wastewater drug monitoring program in Fiji.
This program is modelled on Australia’s successful program.
This pilot will collect and analyse wastewater samples to provide reliable data on drug consumption and identify substances posing the greatest threat to Fijian communities.
The initiative will be delivered through a partnership among the ACIC, the University of Queensland, and the University of the South Pacific.
This marks a significant step forward in regional collaboration on drug matters.
Sampling will occur at several sites across Fiji, with each location sampled every three months throughout the pilot.
The program will monitor 12 licit and illicit drugs – methylamphetamine, amphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, MDA, alcohol, nicotine, ketamine, heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone and cannabis.
Insights from the program will support evidence-based policy and operational decisions, helping to define sources of threat and track changes in drug consumption.
Wastewater analysis enables comparison across locations and countries.
This will allow Fiji and Australia to share insights and strengthen regional responses to drug-related harm.
The program adds another dimension to existing operational and intelligence cooperation between Australia and Fiji in combating the threat of illicit drugs in the Pacific.
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