North Shore Times (New Zealand)
Drug use widespread among Kiwis, PM says
Drug use is common in New Zealand and addiction is a real problem, Prime Minister Bill English says.
Employers complaining about Kiwis not passing drug tests was one example of drug prevalence, English said.
‘‘This is one way we know there is widespread, or there is a reasonable amount of, drug use among young people, apparently,’’ he said at a media conference in Long Bay on March 1.
English flagged the issue earlier, saying several business owners a week complained to him about their problems getting Kiwi workers to pass a drug test.
The comments were rebuked by figures from the Ministry for Social Development, which show in 2015, there were 31,791 referrals for drug testing but only 55 drug-related sanctions – a 0.17 per cent fail rate.
But when asked whether there was a problem with drug addiction, English said the country is not drug-free.
The Government has made an ‘‘extensive commitment’’ to drug rehabilitation, through both the health sector and the justice system, he says.
In October 2016, nearly $15 million was announced to be spent on anti-drug initiatives, including a pilot prison treatment programme.
‘‘If the problem wasn’t there, we wouldn’t have to spend that money,’’ English says.
‘‘In some communities now, we’re starting to get a bit more concern about P again and its prevalence,’’ he says.
‘‘These are real things that actually happen and affect people’s employability.’’
One North Shore woman who can attest to the prevalence of drugs is Lynda Wharton, whose daughter was, at one stage, addicted to methamphetamine.
‘‘[Meth is] easily available, according to my daughter. She was 15 and able to try it at a party,’’ she says.
To help fix the issue, Wharton wants to see tougher sentences for those who import and deal, more drug education, public health messages on meth’s addictiveness and an increase in residential rehabilitation beds.
According to the 2016 New Zealand Drug Harm Index, there are an estimated 388,000 drug users in the country, including 1400 who are dependent on amphetamine-type stimulants like meth and 26,000 dependent on cannabinoids.