• Cocaine and methamphetamine use has skyrocketed, with cocaine consumption at an all-time high.
• Methamphetamine consumption in the third quarter of 2024 was more than double the previous year’s average.
• Sarah Helm warns urgent action is needed to enhance harm reduction and healthcare services.

Cocaine and methamphetamine use across New Zealand has skyrocketed, with cocaine consumption reaching an all-time high.

Police’s National Drugs in Wastewater Testing Programme results show methamphetamine consumption in the third quarter of 2024 was more than double the average quantity consumed per week over the previous year.

NZ Drug Foundation executive director Sarah Helm said the recent increase represents the highest volume since the wastewater testing programme began in 2018.

She warned action is needed urgently to gear up harm reduction, addiction and acute healthcare services for an increase in need.

“We aren’t aware of an increase in the number of people using methamphetamine, so this big uptick likely represents a similar amount of people using larger quantities,” she said.

“That means we are expecting to see more acute harms, such as hospitalisations from overamping/acute toxicity, heart health impacts or psychosis.”

The report also showed cocaine consumption was at an all-time high, with the last quarter’s consumption almost twice (1.86 times) as high as the previous year’s average.

“Recent studies have shown an increase in the number of people consuming cocaine in New Zealand over the past couple of years,” Helm said.

“Cocaine is considered among the more addictive substances. It wears off quickly and has a compulsive redosing impact making it harder for people to manage their use.

Recent studies have shown an increase in the number of people consuming cocaine in New Zealand over the past couple of years. Photo / 123 rf

Helm explained the increase is because global cocaine production has risen significantly, and methamphetamine supply chains have become more efficient.

The results showed that evidence-based measures to protect the community have not received the right level of support, Helm said.

“We want to see an investment in the rollout of Te Ara Oranga nationally, which we have been calling for many years,” she said.

“It is also beyond time to look at our drug laws, which have demonstrably failed. Since 1975, our drug supply has exponentially increased, become terrifyingly more potent and toxic, while our drug laws have prevented harm reduction and overdose measures by making them illegal.”

Wastewater testing data shows the volume of drugs consumed within a given period but doesn’t show how many people are using that drug or how they are taking it.