The drug Buprenorphine is now the most commonly discovered, according to the latest Corrections Victoria Drugs in Victorian Prisons report.

Shadow Corrections Minister Brad Battin said Buprenorphine was an opiod originally used to treat heroin addiction.

"It takes away the cravings for heroin, but when it gets incorrectly used, it can still give that person a high," the former police and prison officer said.

"It's been a prescription drug, but in a prison setting people had to take it under strict supervision only - and prove that none was left over."

Random drug tests at Hopkins in Ararat found a clean slate until October, when two inmates were discovered with Buprenorphine in their systems.

Another 10 were found with the drug in the months leading up to March.

At Langi Kal Kal prison near Beaufort, the clean slate lasted until December, when one inmate was found with the drug - and another was detected during random tests in January.

All up, 331 prisoners across Victoria were tested to have the drug in their system over the same period.

"We know the amount of drugs in prison declined during COVID, as there were just no contact visits," Mr Battin said.

"But I do think it's important for prisoners to have visitors - especially family - so they are connected the whole way through their setence.

"At the end of the day we want them rehabilitated and have someone to go to when they get out."

Generally speaking, Langi Kal Kal appears to be relatively drug-free, with just two positive Buprenorphone tests in the year before the pandemic.

Drugs not detected via testing at either local jail included amphetamines, ice, cocaine, benzodiazepines, cannabinoids, ethanol, methadone, and steroids.

At Loddon prison in Castlemaine, lockdowns made a smaller dent in the Buprenorphine supply, with 11 prisoners tested with the drug in July 2021 - and a total of 60 by the end of March.

Some contraband was discovered at the door - with one Langi Kal Kal visitor discovered with three items of smoking paraphernalia and one with Buprenorphone during the month of March.

Visitors to Hopkins were found to have five Buprenorphine tablets during the month of September.

Loddon Prison visitors saw a number of items seized over the same time including one count of powder/crystals, five of Buprenorphine, one syringe, three items of smoking paraphernalia and one electronic device.

Tarrengower (Maldon) and Beechworth were among jails with no visitor contraband found at all during the 12 months, but Barwon Prison near Geelong topped the list with - among other things - 37 counts of Buprenorphine.

In the nine months to March 30, staff seized 78 items of smoking paraphernalia from prisoners at Hopkins.

The report found that inmates there were also found with 16 edged weapons, six electronic devices, 55 prescription tablets and 20 Buprenorphine tablets.

They even found 13 litres of home brew had slipped through the net.

Again, Langi Kal Kal was a different story, with eight tools, three edged weapons and two electronic devices found on inmates over the same period.

In one case in December a prisoner was discovered to have 14 contraband prescription tablets.

"It's a real concern when any drugs or other contraband get into a prison," Mr Battin said.

"It puts the corrections staff at risk as well as inmates - and I think it's something that needs to be addressed a lot more thoroughly."

In the year before COVID, Langi Kal Kal saw no visitor seizures, but multiple items of contraband were taken from prisoners themselves.

These included 17 items of smoking paraphenalia, four edged weapons, prescription medication - and again, Buprenorphine.

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