Drug trends

Opiates are used by a relatively small proportion New Zealanders. Recent surveys do not indicate significant fluctuations in the rate of opiate use.

The prevalence of heroin is relatively low. Instead, much of New Zealand opiate use is derived from morphine sulphate tablets.

New Zealand has a well-developed needle exchange programme which allows injecting drug users to swap used needles for new ones. This service has lowered the rate of infection from communicable diseases like hepatitis and HIV/AIDS. The service also helps reduce the incidence of used needles being discarded in public places where other people could come across them.

It is estimated that heroin costs $1000 per gram in New Zealand, significantly more expensive than in other countries.

In 2001, 0.6 percent of New Zealanders surveyed were current users of opiates, stable from 1998.