SOUTHEAST Queensland's sewage is being tested for illicit drugs to help police and overburdened emergency wards.

The tests have revealed the southeast corner's appetite for cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine and methamphetamines.

The University of Queensland research, partly funded by the Australian Federal Police, shows thousands of people are taking drugs every day.

The 2010-2011 southeast Queensland results, obtained by The Courier-Mail, revealed that cannabis use increased during the holidays.

For every 1000 people, about 1-5 grams of marijuana is consumed each day. More recent tests are yet to be analysed.

On New Year's Eve 2010, the use of ecstasy skyrocketed. Over the Christmas and New Year's break, drug users also indulged in cocaine and methamphetamine.

However, on normal working days, people took similar amounts of cannabis as they did on holidays.

On weekends they took about the same amount of methamphetamines as they did during Christmas and New Year's holidays. The researchers test for drug residues in faeces and urine.

UQ's Centre for Clinical Research deputy director Wayne Hall said the tests aimed to give police better intelligence and help hospitals treat users who overdose.

It could also open the door to how law enforcement gathers their intelligence, with the potential to help police find where drugs are being produced.

Several waste-water treatment plants in Brisbane and the Gold Coast have been regularly tested over the past two years, revealing when and what types of drugs have been taken. Tests will also be done this year.

"The procedure will be able to identify new illicit drugs that are being used by the population, helping police with setting law enforcement priorities, hospitals which treat drug users and public health authorities to warn users about the risks of the drugs that they are using," Professor Hall said.

"If there is a batch of bad drugs and people are sent to emergency, the procedure could identify the active ingredient and alert other hospitals.

"Public messages could be put out to alert drug users of a batch of bad drugs."

Prof Hall, also a fellow of the National Health and Medical Research Council, said research showed that drug use increased in Brisbane over the holidays.

The AFP said it supported forensic scientific research by engaging with academic institutions and industry, including University of Tasmania, Bond University and UQ.

Queensland Health Director-General Michael Cleary said the study could be useful in monitoring illicit drug trends and help in public health responses.

" The Department of Health encourages research to assist in managing the harms from illicit drug use in the community," Dr Cleary said.

"The department would be happy to discuss the results with the research team once available."