ALCOHOL consumption was higher in regional Victoria when comparing data collected in April 2021 and August 2021, and well above that of Melbourne, according to the annual National Wastewater Drug Monitoring report released earlier this month.

 In compiling the report, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) monitored 10 sites in Victoria in August 2021 - two capital city sites and eight regional sites and compared them with other sites on a national basis as well as separately against data from April 2021.