Getting Methy – New Zealand’s changing drug market

By Darcy Lawrey (he/him)

Trigger Warning: Discusses drug use.

Testing of New Zealand’s wastewater over the last year has revealed an explosion in the use of stimulant drugs. Commissioned by the Police, testing has shown that kiwis are using double as much meth as they were a year before, hitting a new record since testing began. The results show weekly consumption of meth across the country hitting a peak of 39.2kg, up from 15kg in June last year. 

Wellington was the only region in the country that hasn’t had increased use of meth, but the capital has still seen a significant bump in cocaine use. Despite some major busts of coke dealers in Wellington over the summer, the white powder seems to be becoming a more common sight on the encrypted group chats drug dealers use to pedal their wares. 

Modernity’s answer to the black-market alleyway, encrypted ‘servers’ on apps like Signal and Telegram, are used by dealers to post flashy advertisements for their products, reminiscent of a Chemist Warehouse newsletter. Many of these servers, particularly in Wellington, ban the sale of meth, however coke and pharmaceuticals are completely on the cards. 

Salient spoke to M*, a dealer on a number of servers, about the state of the market. He says that while he always gets his products tested at Know Your Stuff or the Wellington Needle Exchange, in 5 years of business he has yet to have any product test positive for something unexpected. 

However, laced drugs are certainly out there. M showed us a “protection group”, used by importers and distributors across the greater Wellington region, with a master-list which lays out the reputation of traders. The list includes a blacklist of “gankers” (people who steal or lie in the course of business) and those who cut their products with other drugs, including meth.

M says the community of dealers are “actively doing a better job at keeping opioids and meth off the street and [out of] products”. He encourages people who are buying from servers to stick to those with three or more admins for greater oversight over dealer practices.

So where is this huge jump in use coming from? New Zealand Drug foundation Executive Director Sarah Helm says that the foundation believes the uptick in meth use is due to a similar number of users using larger quantities, not from an increase in users, as global meth supply chains become more efficient. Cocaine has also seen a significant increase in production, she says, which has been predicted by the United Nations Drug Office. 

A student interviewed believes that the rise in coke, not meth, use in Wellington is reflected in student culture: “[Meth is] the only drug that people are upset to hear me mention.” They suspect that media representation of coke use is what gives it a more accepted reputation amongst students, pointing to the likes of Charli XCX (Should we do a little key? Should we have a little line?). “Coke’s been in music videos, songs and popular media for ages, it's frequently joked about whereas stuff like meth and fent don't really have that history” 

M takes a more philosophical view on why drug use is increasing so sharply, saying “it’s not [because of] supply, it’s the fact that where there is demand there is supply.” He points to isolation as a root cause: “we live unnaturally already, so yes addiction is inevitable in our current state. But it’s not when you live in accordance with your community and nature.” He believes that addressing drug addiction requires addressing root flaws in the way we interact as a society.

* Name changed

NZ Alcohol & Drug Helpline (24/7): 0800 787 797 

Drug testing is available at the Needle Exchange on 233a Willis Street.