Drug trends

Opiates are used by a relatively small proportion of the population in New Zealand. Recent surveys indicate that the rate of opiate use is stable.

There is not a lot of heroin use in New Zealand. Opiates here tend more to come from morphine sulphate tablets homebake, methadone and other opiate pharmaceuticals.

New Zealand has a well-developed Needle Exchange Programme, which allows injecting drug users to swap used needles for new ones. This service has reduced infections from communicable diseases like hepatitis and HIV/AIDS. It also helps reduce the number of used needles discarded in public places.

It is estimated heroin costs $1000 per gram in New Zealand, significantly more than in other countries.

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

• 3.6 percent of 16- to 64-year-olds have ever used opiates recreationally
• men are more likely to use opiates than women
• 25- to 34-year-olds are the most likely age group to use opiates
• 1.1 percent of 16- to 64-year-olds used opiates in the past 12 months. Use increased with less favourable socioeconomic conditions.
• 57 percent of past year users used at least monthly.