NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

New Zealand has among highest drug abuse rates in world

25 Sep, 2003 12:27 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

9.30am

New Zealand has one of the highest proportions of ecstasy and amphetamine abusers in the world a United Nations survey has found.

The global survey, the first of its type by the UN, said New Zealand and Australia were second only to Thailand on methamphetamine abuse.

It was reported 3.7 per cent
of the population of both countries abused the drug.

Australia was also a world leader on ectacsy abuse, with 2.9 per cent of its population abusing the drug.

New Zealand was not far behind on 2.3 per cent.

The drugs are regarded as a health hazard, causing loss of memory, premature decline of other mental facilities and are linked to serious crime.

New Zealand figures could be even worse than the UN reported, Massey University researcher Chris Wilkins told National Radio.

The survey was based on 2001 figures, he said.

The numbers of clandestine labs found by police, recent drug seizures and arrests suggested the use of drugs may have increased since then, he said.

The Ecstasy and Amphetamines Global Survey 2003 said almost all countries reported a strong concentration of abuse of the drugs among young people, particularly in dance and club settings.

More than 40 million people around the world, or one in every 100 people aged 15 and older, used amphetamine-like substances in 2000-2001, the report said.

It found that the use of such stimulants was concentrated among 18 to 20 year-olds.

The drugs were wrongly "perceived as less harmful than other illicit substances, like heroin and cocaine".

"The danger posed by synthetic drugs is already real and is advancing relentlessly," the report concluded.

The problem of amphetamine-type stimulants in Australia was characterised by high levels of abuse and was "serious and growing", it warned.

The report, by the Vienna-based UN Office on Drugs and Crime, said local production of methamphetamine tablets in Australasia was increasing.

It said the drugs were manufactured locally using pseudoephedrine as a chemical precursor -- either bought or stolen from retail outlets or taken from chemical factories, warehouses and factory yards.

"The relatively closed market appears to have disguised the specific nature and extent of the problem for some time," the report said.

However, domestic manufacture of ecstasy was limited. The drugs were mainly imported from Europe, South-East Asia and China.

Imported tablets were often ground up, diluted and resold and were of dubious and inconsistent quality.

Fake ecstasy -- with logos to make the tabs look authentic -- was also being produced locally using ingredients like ketamine, paracetamol and caffeine, the report said.

The Australasian figures reflect a worldwide trend, with the global use of ecstasy estimated to have risen by 70 per cent between 1995-1997 and 2000-2001, while use of amphetamines rose by 40 per cent in the same period.

Worldwide production of amphetamine-like stimulants was estimated at 500 tonnes a year, with seizures rising from four tonnes in 1990/91 to just under 40 tonnes in 2000/01.

Tim Harding, a specialist in drug and alcohol dependence, told National Radio he was not surprised by the figures.

Treatment facilities had told him that five years ago it was rare to see abusers of the drugs.

Now a small percentage were being seen, though alcohol and cannabis had higher numbers of abusers.

Dr Wilkins said methampethamine used in New Zealand was manufactured locally, whereas ecstasy was nearly always imported from Western Europe or Southeast Asia.

Mr Harding said people who used the drugs might not initially suffer adverse affects, but the consequences of continued use were "quite severe".

"When people are young and they are using drugs it's not usually the long-term effects of them that they are actually thinking about, it's the immediate effects and the fun they're going to have with them.

"That's the problem."

Mr Harding said there had to be greater public awareness of the dangers of the drugs, as well as policing it more heavily.

Those who import, manufacture or supply methamphetamine face life imprisonment after legislation passed in Parliament this year moved it from a class B drug to class A.

Drugs are classified according to their risk of harm to the public, with those deemed the most dangerous given a class A classification.

Crime statistics released in March showed a 28.4 per cent increase in drug crimes involving amphetamine-type stimulants, largely due to a rise in local production and distribution.

Penalties were increased to a maximum of life imprisonment for importation, manufacture or supply.

Possession could result in a prison sentence of up to six months, a $1000 fine, or both.

However, Dr Wilkins said it was possible New Zealand's figures and world ranking had been distorted in the UN report.

"New Zealand seems to be tacked on to Australia -- but New Zealand data is not referenced," he told NZPA.

'I got the impression they might have just talked to someone in Australia who said 'this is New Zealand's data'...so there may be some problems there."

While Australia surveyed people over the age of 14, and the UN used data for people up to 65, New Zealand's data was only taken from people aged 15-45.

That would make New Zealand's percentage figure look higher, but if the older age group was added, it would lower the figure, Dr Wilkins said.

Dr Wilkins and his team at Massey University have produced New Zealand's two national drugs surveys.

The next national survey, due out early next year, would include figures on 15 to 65-year-olds, to bring the data on to a par with other countries.

Dr Wilkins said New Zealand should not be alarmed by the UN report, but take a "measured and well-informed" approach.

"People talk about the rates of amphetamine and ecstasy doubling in New Zealand, but it has doubled from just something like 1.5 per cent -- even though New Zealand and Australia might be leading in terms of prevalence rates, it's still a very low level.

"If you compare amphetamine and ecstasy use with cannabis use, alcohol use and tobacco use, it's nowhere near those rates," he said.

- NZPA

Herald Feature: The P epidemic

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand|crime

Tribesmen's alleged 'hotbox' murder after gang member's unauthorised online shopping

16 Jun 07:30 AM
New Zealand

Foreign Minister Winston Peters speaks amid the Israel/Iran conflict

New Zealand

Waihī house fire: Probe into cause of man's death

16 Jun 06:09 AM

The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Tribesmen's alleged 'hotbox' murder after gang member's unauthorised online shopping

Tribesmen's alleged 'hotbox' murder after gang member's unauthorised online shopping

16 Jun 07:30 AM

Mark Hohua, known as Shark, was allegedly beaten to death by fellow gang members in 2022.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters speaks amid the Israel/Iran conflict

Foreign Minister Winston Peters speaks amid the Israel/Iran conflict

Waihī house fire: Probe into cause of man's death

Waihī house fire: Probe into cause of man's death

16 Jun 06:09 AM
‘Rare opportunity’: Wellington’s floating boat cafe up for sale

‘Rare opportunity’: Wellington’s floating boat cafe up for sale

16 Jun 06:01 AM
How one volunteer makes people feel seen
sponsored

How one volunteer makes people feel seen

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP