Drug survey: Prices paid for cannabis in Northland some of the most expensive

The price of methamphetamine has not changed in Northland over the last year but the price of cannabis is some of the most expensive in the country, a survey has revealed.

Higher than median prices for an ounce of cannabis were reported in Otago where $400 was being paid, followed by $380 in Northland and only just slightly cheaper in Auckland at $360 an ounce.

Findings from the latest New Zealand Drug Trends Survey conducted by Massey University released this week also revealed methamphetamine prices had dropped to a record low in three of the country's main regions, despite massive seizures at the border.

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Methamphetamine is now almost $40 cheaper for a gram of the Class A drug and there are "record lows'' reported in the Auckland, Waikato and Wellington regions, according to results in a survey released recently.

The median price for a gram of meth is down nationwide - from $538 in the 2017-18 period compared to $500 in 2018-19. In Northland the price had stayed at $500 a gram, compared to about $1000 10 years ago.

A total of 10,966 people completed the "broadly targeted" online Facebook survey, including 348 people who said they lived in Northland. The survey ran from November 2018 through to February 2019.

People who reported using a drug in the past six months were asked to provide the current price of the common quantities of the drug type and whether the price had changed in the previous six month.

Sixty-one percent of those who participated said they were employed, 29 per cent students, 4 per cent unemployed, 3 per cent on a sickness benefit and 3 per cent retired or parenting.

A total of 10,966 people completed the "broadly targeted" online Facebook survey, including 348 people who said they lived in Northland. The survey ran from November 2018 through to February 2019.

Those at the coalface in Northland confirmed methamphetamine was a drug readily and easily available in Northland.

Detective Sergeant Renee O'Connell is part of the police Meth Harm Reduction Team working withe the Northland District Health Board on a programme called Te Ara Oranga aimed at reducing demand for the class A drug by helping users to treatment.

O'Connell said people were now able to buy methamphetamine in small quantities.

"Those small quantities are now available for as low as $50, whereas the buyer would have needed at least $100 a couple of years ago. The reduction in price means it is more easily accessible," O'Connell said.

"A decrease in price makes methamphetamine more readily available which in turn is harmful for people who want to stop using it."

There are currently 1341 cases are being managed by Northland DHB methamphetamine focused clinicians.

Head of the Northland Police organised crime unit Detective Sergeant Steve Chamberlain said like any business the price paid for cannabis was a case of supply and demand, which meant at certain times of the year cannabis was more expensive.

Anecdotally he said approaching Christmas a higher price was demanded for cannabis in Northland.

"It just depends on how much of it is around. In Northland most of the crops are grown outdoors so that can limit how much is available."

He said methamphetamine was a huge problem in the region and a big driver of crime.
Chris Wilkins, the lead survey researcher at Massey University's SHORE & Whariki Research Centre, said the lower prices may lead to heavy drug users taking more, and may also attract new users, more harmful use among at risk groups such as youth and low socioeconomic groups.

The drug was now both cheaper and easier to get - which would inevitably lead to increasing use, he said.

Customs has trumpeted its record seizures of the Class A drug - and there have been some huge seizures in the past few years.

One of the most famous - or infamous - seizures in recent times was the more than 500kg meth discovered being smuggled into the country via Ninety Mile Beach, in Northland, in 2016. Had it made it on to the streets, it would have been worth up to $500 million.

But Wilkins said international evidence showed the price was "where the rubber meets the road".

"If you have high levels of drug seizures [but] price is continuing to decline, that's telling you it's not having an impact."

Providing alternatives for young people so they would not get into the Class A drug in the first place was also important, he said.

A police spokesman said the National Wastewater Testing Programme showed an increase in the presence of methamphetamine throughout New Zealand this year.

Regional variations in drug use were also identified with methamphetamine use shown to be most prevalent per capita in Northland, MDMA in Canterbury and cocaine in the wider Auckland region.

In Northland it's estimated that 1100mg of methamphetamine is used in one week per 1000 people, well up on the next highest rates - 990mg per 1000 in the Eastern District, 800mg in the Bay of Plenty and 780mg in Auckland.

Meth remained the most commonly detected illicit drug nationwide, with about 15kg consumed on average each week. At $500 per gram, that was $7.5m going to organised crime each week, the spokesman said.

Those levels translated to about $18m each week in social harm, or $950m per year.
Police were concerned about the rise of meth use in New Zealand and the number of crimes that result from addiction, as well as the social harm and deprivation in vulnerable communities, he said.

Anyone affected by meth addiction was urged to seek help through the Alcohol and Drug Helpline on 0800 787797, or free text 1737 to speak with a trained counsellor.

Anyone with information about the sale and supply of illegal substances in the community should contact their local police station, or phone Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.