State of the Nation 2022

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.

State of the Nation 2022 ( PDF 2.8mb )

Key facts from State of the Nation 2022

Most New Zealanders use alcohol and other drugs, but Māori suffer grossly unequitable outcomes in almost every aspect of this report.

Drug-related deaths for Māori are three times the rate for non-Māori
Wāhine Māori are 3.6 times more likely to smoke daily than non-Māori women and are 2.7 times more likely to use amphetamines.
Only 42% of Māori in addiction treatment were double vaccinated as at late-November – half the rate of the general population.
Māori make up 48% of those convicted for drug possession offences and 61.9% of those sentenced to prison for these offences.

Alcohol is still by far the most widely consumed drug and causes the most harm, with 19.5% of adults drinking in a way that’s likely to cause them harm.

Methamphetamine use remains relatively steady, but its impacts on different communities vary greatly. Women living in our poorest neighbourhoods are 18 times more likely to use amphetamines (including methamphetamine) than women living in the wealthiest neighbourhoods, but our one-size-fits-all approach to the drug doesn’t take these differences into account.

An estimated 94% of those using cannabis for medicinal purposes, 266,700 people, are still accessing the drug through the black market.

The year ended 30 June 2021 saw the lowest number of charges and convictions for drug offences in the past ten years. However, several thousand people are still convicted of possession offences each year.

One in six people are convicted of low-level drug offences alone (they received no other convictions).
Methamphetamine and cannabis charges predominate.
Changes to our drug laws in 2019 have had a lesser impact than hoped. The Misuse of Drugs Act Amendment has resulted in fewer court actions, but it's only a slight decrease.
Only 12% of cannabis charges result in prosecution, whereas for meth the figure is 51% and for LSD, a whopping 73%.

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]

Why do people use drugs?

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.