A former Air New Zealand flight attendant has reportedly been charged with importing methamphetamine.

A South African woman who has been accused of importing heroin with a street value of $1.2 million has had a hospital bedside court hearing.

An international drug kingpin who fled NZ while on bail has been convicted of smuggling huge shipments of Ecstasy to an Auckland godfather of crime.

A New Zealand woman seeking leniency on drugs charges has given a tearful apology to a Bali court, which heard she has a history of depression and heroin use.

New Zealand criminals are taking inspiration from the hit TV series Breaking Bad by using campervans to cook crystal methamphetamine.

A New Zealand woman has been charged with importing five kilograms of crystal meth into Sydney hidden inside machinery parts.

Oz pensioners struggling to make ends meet are selling their prescription medication to junkies and drug dealers. Some painkillers are fetching up to A$4000 a box.

Smoking cannabis before the age of 15 could lead to insomnia later in life, a new study has found.

He's thought to be the worst drink-driver in the country, yet there's little keeping him off the roads.

Auckland City Missioner Diane Robertson has said her staff have reported a rise in clients showing symptoms of solvent abuse.

The lawyer for Leeza Ormsby hopes for a sentence of less than 18 months for the New Zealander facing drug charges in Bali.

An Irishman accused of running a global drug ring which allegedly smuggled methamphetamine to a Queen St apartment has been extradited to Auckland to face criminal charges.

Two armed men allegedly held up an R18 store and stole synthetic drugs - just minutes before the products were deemed officially illegal.

A law change to take synthetic drugs off the shelves will be passed under urgency by tomorrow afternoon.

Few politicians leave behind anything much of value. Former Justice Minister Simon Power is an exception, writes Mike Williams.

A New Zealand ex-pat living in Thailand has been sentenced to more than four years in prison for drug charges, local news organisation reports.

Peaches Geldof died of a heroin overdose, echoing the death of her mother which had haunted her, it has been reported.

Synthetic cannabis products will be pulled from shelves faster than the looming Government ban, as users suffer acute psychotic reactions and prolonged withdrawal.

If the research produces essential results of value to humanity that cannot be produced in any other way, despite its cruelty, it should be permissible, writes Alexander Gillespie.

The number of people seeking help to quit synthetic cannabis has soared and is expected to rise further next month.

Makers of synthetic drugs predict the Government's "surprise" ban on their products will force 80 shops to close their doors and 200 staff to lose jobs.

PM John Key says leaving some synthetic drugs on the market was “a mistake” and Government should have banned all products until a rigorous testing regime was in place.

New Zealanders whose lives have been blighted by the dangers of legal highs are thrilled by plans to pull them from sale within a fortnight.

It is still hard to believe New Zealand legalised cannabis last July. The Psychoactive Substances Act applies only to chemical creations of the drug but these are said to be more potent than the plant.

The sale of legal highs could be effectively banned in Rotorua from June 5.

Just one in 100 beneficiaries who had pre-employment drug tests under a new government policy showed any sign of drug abuse.