The Fiji Police Force and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) have jointly launched Fiji’s first wastewater drug monitoring program, a pilot initiative modelled on Australia’s long-running system to track drug consumption trends.
The program, developed in partnership with The University of Queensland and the University of the South Pacific, will collect and analyse samples from several locations across Fiji, with each site tested every three months.
The data will provide the most reliable nationwide picture yet of drug use and emerging threats.
The initiative will monitor 12 licit and illicit substances, including methylamphetamine, amphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, MDA, heroin, fentanyl, ketamine, oxycodone, cannabis, alcohol and nicotine.
The ACIC said wastewater monitoring has been critical to Australia’s drug-intelligence capability, and Fiji’s adoption of the model represents a major step forward in regional cooperation.
Both agencies describe the program as a sign of their shared commitment to community safety, public health and innovative, science-driven approaches to addressing drug threats in the Pacific.
