The contaminated cocaine may be a health threat for thousands of Victorians as Australia’s cocaine use has skyrocketed recently.
In 2023, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission conservatively estimated the nation consumed more than four tonnes a year. This masthead recently reported more than a million Australians tried cocaine last year, making it our second-most-popular drug, after cannabis.
Meanwhile, the City of Melbourne last year said it would investigate setting up vending machines to dispense naloxone, which can be taken as a nasal spray and reverses the effect of an opioid overdose within two minutes by helping to restart a patient’s breathing before paramedics arrive.
Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco are among the growing number of cities around the world – particularly where fentanyl has taken off – that have made naloxone freely available via vending machines or kiosks in public places such as university campuses, outside police stations and in public squares.