A drug expert says methamphetamine is becoming far too easy to find in small-town New Zealand, and there aren't enough drug treatment services to cope.

A new study from Massey University suggests people are finding it easier to get hold of a point of meth, than a tinny of cannabis.

Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell says it's hard to draw a national conclusion but it is clear some small towns are being flooded with P.

READ MORE: Meth more available in NZ than cannabis, says study

He told Kate Hawkesby the study provides anecdotal evidence that meth is becoming more available in provincial centres.

"The worrying thing for us is that these reports are coming from parts of the country where there are inadequate health services to cope."

Bell says one good example is Northland, where half a tonne of meth washed up on a beach.

"It's a community that is impoverished, that meth use has been increasing and there has been inadequate health services."

LISTEN ABOVE AS ROSS BELL SPEAKS WITH KATE HAWKESBY