Authorities shake up drug use, supply
The supply of illicit drugs within the Taupo¯ policing area has almost doubled despite usage plummeting.
Drug supply in the area, which covers Tı¯rau, Pu¯ ta¯ ruru, Tokoroa, Taupo¯ and Tu¯ rangi, has risen by a whopping 49 per cent in 11 months according to Tokoroa Senior Sergeant Murray Hamilton. But use of illicit drugs has fallen by 17 per cent.
Hamilton said it comes down to educating users and police cracking down on dealers. The rise in supply is through us successfully targeting our methamphetamine dealers,’’ he said.
‘‘The only way we record drug supply is when we catch people so, although it appears to be a bad statistic, in a way it’s good. The more successful we are at it, the worse it will get.
‘‘A lot of the work we now do around cannabis is also more about trying to get people rehabilitated as opposed to hardout prosecutions, so getting them help will see some drop off in what we call drug use.
‘‘Health departments are also doing their thing helping people get off drugs so I certainly wouldn’t say it is only us making a difference, it’s about all of us working together. The success comes from those partnerships.
He said methamphetamine continues to be a problem.
‘‘Meth is the main drug out there,’’ he said. ‘‘We have successes every now and then which puts a lid on it for a little while but it is constantly [reappearing] unfortunately. We will certainly take the good while we can, but it is a matter of keeping on top of it because we know as soon as we shift our focus, it will jump back up.’’
Despite large quantities of drugs being brought into the area, Hamilton said large quantities were also coming from within.
‘‘It is still big here too. We are not silly enough to think it doesn’t happen here,’’ he said.