Drug trends

Conservative estimates state that at least half of all New Zealanders have tried cannabis.

Current trends indicate that an increasing number of New Zealanders admit to having tried cannabis. Studies found about 40 percent of 15 to 45 year-olds in 1990 admitted using cannabis at some stage. This increased to 50 percent in 1998 and 52 percent in 2001.

The New Zealand Health Select Committee conducted a report into cannabis use in New Zealand, published in 2003, and concluded that the prohibition of cannabis had not prevented or reduced its use.

Most surveys show an increase both in use of marijuana and frequency of use among both men and women and across all age groups.

New Zealanders appear to prefer using cannabis at home, with surveys indicating that private residences were the most common places to use the drug. It was also shown that marijuana smoking tended to be in social circumstances, often smoked between three or four people rather than alone.

Cannabis in New Zealand is often sold in relatively small amounts. An ounce of marijuana tends to cost around $300. A 'tinny', a foil-wrapped amount containing enough cannabis for about three cigarettes or joints, costs around $20. Other amounts are often sold for $50 or $100.

The Alcohol and Public Health Research Unit's Drug Use in New Zealand National Surveys Comparison 1998 and 2001 was published in 2002 and contains the most recent analysis of cannabis use in New Zealand. Some findings included:

• 69 percent of people who said they had tried cannabis had stopped using it
• 38 percent of women aged 15 to 17 had tried in 2001, up from 26 percent in 1998
• 30 percent of those who had tried cannabis had done so by age 15
• 59 percent of people who had tried cannabis in 2001 stated that they never drove under the influence of cannabis, down from 67 percent in 1998
• four percent of the sample were heavy users (defined as having smoked cannabis more than 10 times in the past month) and only four percent were daily smokers
• in 2005, the police recorded 14,713 cannabis-only offences, down from 16,409 in 2004.