“It is easier to get than green ... For someone who wants it, it’s not hard to find,” he told the Rotorua Daily Post Weekend.
He said police had been successful in busting large drug rings in recent years but what they were finding recently was more people in possession of smaller amounts for personal use.
He said it was worrying how times had changed since the years he started in the Rotorua CIB, when it was seen as a “big deal” to be in possession of methamphetamine.
“Now it is like the equivalent of what it was then to being in possession of cannabis.”
He said the social harm of the drug was huge and addicts not only damaged themselves but those around them.
“The selfish thing about meth is it’s not about the user. It is far-reaching in terms of impact ... That can be social, financial and physical harm.”
A social support agency told the Rotorua Daily Post Weekend the want and need for methamphetamine in Rotorua was seeing some “heartbreaking” stories emerge - including girls as young as 13 prostituting themselves.
A leader of the agency, who did not want to be identified due to the risk of breaching client trust, said there were nicknames for some emergency housing motels where it was common knowledge drug dealing occurred.
The latest police wastewater drug testing results show methamphetamine remains a popular illicit drug in the Bay of Plenty - with an average of 883g consumed each week between January and March this year.
It was about twice as popular as MDMA and cocaine.
Nationwide, it is estimated 12.2kg of methamphetamine is consumed a week, equating to an estimated weekly social harm cost of $13.5 million.
The figures show about $4.3m per week was generated from methamphetamine distribution across New Zealand.
The comments on the general situation of meth locally and nationally come after Hamuera Simpkins was sentenced this week in the Rotorua District Court on three drug-dealing-related charges.
Judge Tony Snell made clear the role drug dealers played in the suffering seen in courtrooms daily from methamphetamine use.
“You are a cog in a machine that is causing huge harm in Rotorua ... It’s people like you who facilitate it. And I want to bring that home to you because you are responsible for that,” Judge Snell said.
Simpkins, a 41-year-old unemployed man from Rotorua, earlier pleaded guilty to a representative charge of supplying methamphetamine, possessing methamphetamine for supply and possessing cannabis for supply.
Police searched his home in July last year and found methamphetamine, electronic scales, $340 cash and three mobile phones.
Judge Snell said police searched Simpkins’ communications for 30 days and found he had been dealing methamphetamine and cannabis during that time. The total amounts involved for the 30 days were 33.2g of methamphetamine and 396g of cannabis.
“You were probably and I suspect almost certainly dealing well before the 30 days that were investigated but I can’t take that into account.”
Judge Snell said Simpkins was not able to work because of a medical condition and he fell on hard times after he stopped working full-time in 2002.
“To his credit”, Simpkins was honest when he said he became involved in drug dealing because he saw it as an easy way to make money, Judge Snell said.
“I’ll be really straight with you, meth-dealing simply puts meth out in the community and if you haven’t seen the harm personally to yourself, then you need to take a look at the harm that you personally have caused [to others].”
Judge Snell went on to tell Simpkins poor communities, particularly like the ones he lived in, suffered when people dealt methamphetamine.
“I have no doubt that you have caused irreparable harm to others.”
Simpkins was sentenced to 11 months’ home detention on the methamphetamine charges and three months’ home detention on the cannabis dealing charge, to be served concurrently.
Judge Snell’s parting comment to Simpkins was that he was given a “compassionate” sentence because he had no previous drug offending and the judge believed he was remorseful.
“Mr Simpkins, good luck on this because I don’t ever expect to see you back in this court. This was a dalliance that I think was a one-off.”
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
