Cannabis is still easily available in Northland - an amount of cannabis with a total worth of $10 million was found during Operation Peruvian, conducted last year, which uncovered this growing operation in Tāheke.
Cannabis is still easily available in Northland - an amount of cannabis with a total worth of $10 million was found during Operation Peruvian, conducted last year, which uncovered this growing operation in Tāheke.
Easy availability and cheap prices of meth and cannabis are growing concerns in Northland, a national drug trend survey has found.
Massey University Shore and Whāriki Research Centre’s online survey had 521 participants from Northland out of 13,026 from across the country.
Drug research team leader Associate Professor Chris Wilkins said almost 50 per cent of the people surveyed from Northland felt meth and cannabis were easy to obtain.
The study also showed the average price for a gram of meth consistently dropped from $563 to $406 over five years (2017 to 2023). The average price of half a kilogram of cannabis was reported to have had a steady decline from $3732 to $3327 over the same period.
Wilkins said their research, especially on meth getting cheaper and usage, was consistent with the recent seizures of the illegal drug at the border and detection through national wastewater testing.
“We understand that there is heavy use of such drugs across all our communities. So, our key focus is to be intervention, [holding] the necessary people accountable and [reducing] the social harm that gets caused by meth and weed.”
Northland district crime manager Dene Begbie says it's common practice for police to execute search warrants and uncover illicit activities such as drug cultivation and possession for commercial purposes. Photo/ Tania Whyte
Begbie said his teams actively dealt with situations which involved catching the perpetrators involved in the sale and supply of illegal drugs and were instrumental in shutting down the commercial cultivation of such drugs.
One of the police’s successful operations includes the Ninety Mile Beach drug bust in 2016, which saw them confiscate 500 kilograms of meth estimated to be worth $500 million and is considered one of the country’s largest busts so far.
He said law enforcement has come a long way, especially with regard to combating drug use.
“Initially, we used to employ an enforcement-based response, but now with time, we have got initiatives such as the meth harm reduction team, which focuses on reducing the demand and stopping the usage of drugs to an extent.
“Now we are going for a more health-centred and therapeutic approach. It’s about recognising the harm that drugs have caused and then supporting people to get out of [involvement with them]. For this reason, we work closely work the [Northland] District Health Board and other support services.”
According to the study, other drugs such as MDMA, psychedelics and cocaine weren’t as popular among users.
Forty per cent of those surveyed in Northland said it was difficult to obtain MDMA, while 24 per cent and 9 per cent of respondents said they used psychedelics and cocaine in the last six months respectively.
Wilkins said the unpopularity of those substances was possibly because such drugs were manufactured in just a handful of countries and were difficult to procure.
“Places like the Netherlands, Germany and Central America are more likely to manufacture them. Plus, there are other added complexities and limitations.”
Avneesh Vincent is the crime and emergency services reporter at the Advocate. He was previously at the Gisborne Herald as the arts and environment reporter and is passionate about covering stories that can make a difference. He joined NZME in July 2023.
