Fewer border busts but P use on the rise

MORE than one percent of Kiwis have reported consuming amphetamines in the past two years, despite Covid-19 reducing illicit supply chains in New Zealand.

Methamphetamine is the most commonly detected illegal drug nationwide at wastewater testing sites, with detection levels highest per person in Northland, Bay of Plenty and East Coast.

In December, the Drug Foundation’s 2020 State of the Nation report

revealed 1.8 tonnes of meth was seized by police and customs in 2019, three times as much as the previous year.

However, information released by the National Drug Intelligence Bureau stated the quantity seized by police in 2020 dropped significantly to just 23.7kg.

Despite the decrease, a Drug Foundation survey of addiction and mental health services found referrals had increased by more than 300 per cent.

A snapshot of 19 emergency departments during one night in December 2019 found 1.9 per cent of presentations were methamphetamine-related, up from 0.7 per cent in 2018.

More than 50,100 Kiwis received treatment in 2019. However, district health boards across the country decreased support equivalent to 17 full-time roles between 2018 and 2020.

Although funding in the 2019 Budget ensured many existing services in danger of collapsing were now sustainable, according to the report, there were ‘‘still large holes in treatment provision across the country’’.

Lynette Hutson, Salvation Army director of addictions, said staff and services had not increased so ‘‘We haven’t been able to impact our wait list, particularly for young people wanting access to addiction-specific counselling or support’’.

Meanwhile, between 2019 and 2020, the number of people charged with methamphetamine offences overtook cannabis for the first time.

More than 2720 Kiwis were charged with a meth offence, and 2482 people were charged with cannabis offences.