The latest edition of our annual report on how New Zealand is dealing with drugs and drug harm is out now.
It pulls together the most recent data from a wide array of sources. We hope it will provide a useful baseline for the public, media, health sector and policy makers to debate and develop the solutions we need to see an Aotearoa free from drug harm.
There are important stories and trends contained in this report that need our urgent attention. As with every other aspect of our lives in recent years, the story of drugs and drug use in Aotearoa has been coloured by the presence of Covid-19. So we've tried to make it clear when the data may have been affected by lockdowns, border disruptions etc.
We've tried to extract the most useful data and present it in a way that it's easily understood, but please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.
This is our fourth State of the Nation report. You can download the previous editions here:
State of the Nation 2020 [PDF 1.94mb]
State of the Nation 2019 [PDF 3.4mb]
State of the Nation 2018 [PDF 5.4mb]
People use alcohol and other drugs for many reasons.
Some of these reasons include pleasure and recreation, spiritual discovery, performance enhancement, experimentation, peer pressure or to self-medicate physical problems, emotional pain or trauma.
MOST DRUG USE IS NOT HARMFUL
While it’s safest not to use alcohol and other drugs, most people are not harmed much, or at all, by their use.
DRUGS CAN CAUSE SERIOUS HARM TO SOME
For a small group of users, drug use – whether legal or illegal – can cause significant harm. Harms include illness, injury, addiction and even death, with the effects borne by whole communities.
WHY DO SOME PEOPLE STRUGGLE WITH DRUGS AND ALCOHOL?
The likelihood of harmful use patterns developing depends on a range of social, cultural and genetic factors. Although chemical addiction can play a part, more significant factors contributing to substance use disorders are trauma and abuse, mental health problems, stress, poverty, and housing insecurity. As a result, the most disadvantaged are often the worst affected.
Māori, Pacific people, and people living in the poorest neighbourhoods are more likely to experience harm from their own alcohol or drug use, and are most likely to want help with their drug use but not receive it.
29 August 2023
Watch fascinating talks and panel discussions from our 2023 Parliamentary Symposium.
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Given MDMA’s popularity, potential therapeutic uses, and low harm profile, is it time we re-examine how we regulate it here? Drug Foundation...
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In Aotearoa, scientists, iwi, as well as hobbyists and amateurs are busy researching what psilocybin’s potential could be. So, what’s next f...
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Commentator Russell Brown takes a look at the ACT's road to decriminalising drug possession, and asks what New Zealand could learn.
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