The largest youth drugs service in the Bay of Plenty says it has seen no rise in referrals for methamphetamine use in recent months.
The Bay of Plenty District Health Board's (BOPDHB) Youth Alcohol and other Drugs (AOD) service, Sorted, said fewer than 10 of the 230-250 referrals it received a year would have used methamphetamine.
"As part of our work in the Bay of Plenty we have observed little change in reasons for why young people are referred to our service, with this primarily being due to cannabis and/or alcohol use," said Sorted Registered Social Worker Caleb Putt, of the group which works primarily with young people under 18 years old.
"Anecdotally, there has been little evidence of any change to young people's patterns of use in the community as we interact with our key referring services, such as: Youth Justice, Police Youth Aid, hospital emergency departments, secondary schools and alternative education providers.