A test of Western Australia's raw sewage revealed some of the highest recorded levels of methylamphetamine consumption in Australia.
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission released the first National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program report on Sunday, and found WA had far exceeded the national 'average' of ice use.
The analysis tested for methamphetamine, or ice, and 12 other illicit and licit substances including cocaine, MDMA, tobacco and alcohol at 51 sites across the country, with four undisclosed sites named in WA.
According to the report, the national average of daily meth consumption is around one dose per 28 people. The report quantified a dose as "the average amount of compound consumed in one go, [for example] in one cigarette".
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But the study found the Perth daily consumption average was about one dose per 17 people, and one regional location recorded an average of one dose per 13 people.
The report was released by Federal Minister for Justice Michael Keenan, who said the new data would help law enforcement agencies target high risk areas.
"The report's first findings drive home the message that we cannot simply arrest our way out of this problem – we must tackle the demand for illicit drugs in Australia," he said.
"Make no mistake; the Coalition Government will use every weapon in our arsenal to break the business models of serious and organised crime gangs that thrive on the evil profits of ice and other drugs."
Premier Mark McGowan again confirmed the Labor Party's commitment to a 'meth border force', which would allow a specialised team of 100 officers to travel to port and freight facilities, and drug transit routes to shut down meth distribution.
In a February press conference, Mr McGowan responded to the first results of WA Police's sewage drug testing regime, which found West Australians had used almost 2 tonnes of the drug annually.
"This is an important initiative as part of our comprehensive plan to deal with methamphetamine," he said.
"This drug is killing families, it's killing communities, it's hurting everyone across our state.
"We need to do more to deal with it because, up until now, the response has been too weak, and it hasn't been comprehensive enough."