Waikato retains distinction of ‘most common’ meth use
More pensioners are smoking weed, more New Zealanders are using cocaine - and Waikato’s addiction to methamphetamine shows no sign of slowing down.
At least that’s according to the NZ Drug Foundation Te Puna Whakaiti Pāmamae Kai Whakapiri report, drawing on the latest 2022/23 data from the NZ Health Survey, wastewater testing and the NZ Drugs Trends survey.
According to the report, the Waikato retains its dubious distinction as the New Zealand region where methamphetamine use is most common.
Foundation executive director Sarah Helm told the Waikato Times that methamphetamine use across the Waikato was “among the highest per capita use in the country”.
Comparatively lower meth prices in the region may have contributed, she said.
She also said methamphetamine use in Waikato was “taking hold in certain parts of the community, where there’s more deprivation”.
Many users may also have undiagnosed conditions like ADHD.
The report also found a rise in cocaine use across New Zealand, and an uptick in pensioner pot heads. The volume of cocaine consumed across New Zealand has risen 93% in 2022/23 compared to the previous three years’ average.
“It’s a significant increase off a very low base,” Helm said. “We put this shift down to a significant increase in international cocaine production and supply. We will be keeping a close eye on whether cocaine use continues to trend upwards, as it does have a higher risk of addiction and harm compared to other more common drugs like MDMA.”
Helm said the increase in cocaine consumption comes despite several recent record seizures by Police and Customs, and demonstrates why the focus can’t just be on supply-side interventions.
“Decades of experience has shown us that just relying on drug busts and arrests does nothing to reduce use. This report backs that up too. It shows why we need to reorientate our investment towards health-based approaches, harm reduction, education and treatment.”
The report also found a marked increase in cannabis use among 65 to 74-year-olds, up by more than 10 times over a decade from 0.6% in 2012/13 to 6.4%% in 2022/23.
Helm said that rise could be linked to therapeutic use, or simply a natural ageing of already regular users.
Over the past decade there has been a 51% increase in the number of adults who have used cannabis in the past year (from 9.4% in 2012/13 to 14.2% or 597,000 people in 2022/23), however the number has remained relatively steady since 2019.