Drug trends

According to the latest Drug Use in New Zealand Survey 2007/2008 published in 2010:

• one in ten had used a stimulant (amphetamines, cocaine, prescription stimulants or ecstasy) for recreational purposes at some point in their lifetime. This represents 285,400 people in New Zealand
• men were significantly more likely to have ever used stimulants. Most (42.7 percent) had tried stimulant drugs for the first time at age 21 years or older
• amphetamine use was similar across socio-economic groups, but was slightly more common among middle to upper socio-economic groups 
• past year use of amphetamines was most common among males aged between 18 to 24 years
• Māori and European/Pakeha were the highest users of stimulant drugs
• ‘speed’ (dexamphetamine) was the most commonly used amphetamine within the last 12 months.

The Illicit Drug Monitoring System (IDMS) 2010 surveyed frequent drug users who said crystal methamphetamine was easily accessible. The price of crystal methamphetamine had remained stable over the previous three years, though the purity of the drug had fluctuated. Those surveyed felt the number of people around them using methamphetamine was the same or more over the past six months.

The most recent New Zealand Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (NZ-ADAM) report, (2008) measured drug and alcohol use among people who have recently been apprehended by police. It found that 10.5 percent of people arrested tested positive for methamphetamine. Methamphetamine was the third most common illicit drug detected in arrestees, behind amphetamines (11.1 percent) and cannabis (68.5 percent).