KEY POINTS:
A survey of regular drug users has found methamphetamine use has stabilised over the past three years, but frequent users are experiencing more health and legal problems.
The drug was found to be easy or very easy to get in its locally made form - P - but
imported "crystal" methamphetamine was more difficult to get than in 2006, possibly because of large seizures made by police and customs in the last two years.
The price of methamphetamine was stable at $100 a point (0.1g), according to Massey University's annual Illicit Drug Monitoring System.
The system was set up in 2005 to provide information on drug use and drug-related harm. Researchers interviewed 110 methamphetamine users, 105 Ecstasy users and 109 injecting drug users.
They found that frequent meth users were more likely to have used an ambulance (15 per cent, compared with 3 per cent in 2006), use accident and emergency departments (17 per cent, compared with 6 per cent) and see a GP (38 per cent, compared with 27 per cent).
They were also increasingly using counsellors (42 per cent, compared with 33 per cent), psychologists (15 per cent, compared with 10 per cent) and social workers (14 per cent, compared with 7 per cent).
Lead researcher Chris Wilkins, of Massey's Centre for Social and Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation, said: "Overall levels of methamphetamine use appear to be fairly stable but this research indicates there is a growing population of heavy users experiencing health and legal problems."
Frequent methamphetamine users were also more likely to have committed violent or property crime last year compared to the 2005 findings, Dr Wilkins said.
"Users are under increasing financial pressure; however only minorities of frequent users reported paying for their drug use with money from property crime and even smaller minorities committed violent crime."
The survey found that 53 per cent of respondents had used their unemployment benefit to pay for drugs, 14 per cent had performed sex work such as prostitution, 21 per cent had committed property crime, 17 per cent committed fraud and 47 per cent had sold other drugs for cash.
On average, individual meth users had spent more than $8000 on drugs in the past six months.
More users also reported financial problems - 75 per cent in 2007, compared with 54 per cent in 2006 - and legal/police problems - 54 per cent, compared with 22 per cent - than any other drug users.
When users were asked if they had experienced specific harmful incidents as a result of the drug, 53 per cent said at times they had no money for food or rent, 46 per cent had been arrested, 39 per cent had had sex and later regretted it, 29 per cent had physically hurt themselves, 17 per cent had had a car crash and 8 per cent had been sexually assaulted.
And 55 per cent could often not remember what happened the night before and 39 per cent had spent nights "sleeping rough" such as on the streets.
Meth users appeared more promiscuous, with 12 per cent having had more than 10 sexual partners in the previous six months.
And 10 per cent said they never used condoms when having sex with a casual partner.
Respondents reported more people they knew were using Ecstasy last year compared to 2006 but that number was "confused" as dealers often fraudulently sold the now-outlawed BZP party pills as Ecstasy.
Dr Wilkins said: "Increasing use of Ecstasy may also reflect the declining reputation of methamphetamine, which is increasingly associated with serious psychological problems and addiction."
The price of Ecstasy was also thought to have declined.
Research also found opiates (opium, homebake heroin and morphine) were easy or very easy to get but were costing more.
Cannabis was also easily accessible but some users said the price was rising because of "more high-potency hydroponic cannabis cultivation".
LSD use had risen among the dance party community but declined among other drug users.
Fewer people were using cocaine as it was harder to get and had become more costly.
