Report: Drug use in Aotearoa 2022/23

This report provides an overview of 2022/23 drug use data in Aotearoa New Zealand. We focus on the prevalence of substance use and describe the patterns of drug consumption.  

People use alcohol and other drugs for many reasons.

These include pleasure and recreation, spiritual discovery, performance enhancement, experimentation, peer pressure, or to self-medicate physical problems, emotional pain or trauma. ^1,2 

It’s important to remember that drug use and drug harm are two different things. For those who use illicit substances, most will do so without encountering significant harm. However, some people will experience harm to their physical or mental health from either short or long-term use.

There is a growing body of literature on the medicinal benefits of particular illicit drugs — in fact, most of the well-known substances have established medicinal uses.

While this report does not explore why people use various substances, it is useful to keep in mind that there are a variety of reasons why New Zealanders use them.  

The data used in this report is drawn primarily from the New Zealand Health Survey (Ministry of Health) and from wastewater testing performed by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) for the National Drug Intelligence Bureau (NDIB). Other data sources include the NZ Drug Trends Survey (Massey SHORE & Whariki) and Needle Exchange Programme data.  

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Overview

Illicit drugs are used by people in every city, town, and region of Aotearoa. This report describes some of the patterns and trends among different ages, ethnicities, genders, and locations.

This report does not describe alcohol and tobacco consumption trends, instead focusing on illicit drugs. However, alcohol continues to be New Zealand’s most frequently used substance, and 3.2 million adults* say they had a drink in the last year. A concerning number of those who drank in the past year (21%, or around 672,000) report hazardous drinking.

New Zealand’s most commonly used illicit drug is cannabis. According to the NZ Health Survey, over half a million (597,000) adults used cannabis in the last year. An estimated 199,000 used cannabis at least once a week. ³

Drugs like MDMA, methamphetamine, and opioids are used by a relatively small percentage of the population. 3.6% of the population aged 15 and over used MDMA last year (around 152,000 people), 1.1% (around 47,000 people) used amphetamines, and just 0.4% (around 18,000 people) used opioids.³ For most illicit substances, the overall rates of use have remained relatively stable in the last few years, according to the NZ Health Survey and wastewater testing data. 

Some drugs can be prescribed by a doctor, including cannabis, some types of amphetamines, and some types of opioids (typically as pain medication). These drugs can also be obtained illicitly. Some are only available illicitly, for example heroin (an opioid), methamphetamine, and psychedelics like LSD. The NZ Health Survey asks respondents about their use of certain drugs for any purpose other than for which they were prescribed — this can otherwise be called ‘illicit’ use.  

*The NZ Health Survey uses the term 'adults' to describe people aged 15 and over

Substance use is affected by economic deprivation, disability, ethnicity and gender.

Those who live in the most deprived neighbourhoods report higher rates of past-year use of cannabis, MDMA, amphetamines, opioids and psychedelics compared to those who live in our wealthiest areas.³

Some examples of how social factors influence substance use include:

• Māori report the highest rates of past-year cannabis use (30.1%) and weekly cannabis use (11.3%). Māori people are more likely (4.01 times) to report opioid use compared with other ethnicities.
• Disabled people are more likely to have used cannabis in the past week (3.79 times), or in the past year (2.13 times). Disabled people are also more likely to report past-year opioid use compared with non-disabled people (3.54 times), as well as past-year amphetamine use (5.14 times).
• Men are significantly more likely than women to report past-year use of certain illicit substances like amphetamines (2.39 times), cocaine (3.6 times), and cannabis (1.31 times).
• Most illicit drug use declines as people age. However, past year cannabis use has increased across all age groups in the past decade. 6.4% of 64–75-year-olds now report past year cannabis use, which is a 276% increase since 2016/17.

Illicit drug use prevalence remains relatively stable, and cannabis is still our most commonly used drug.

The most recent data for 2022/23 from the NZ Health Survey shows relatively stable trends in past-year adult use of cannabis (14.2%). The reported prevalence of use of amphetamines (1.1%), and MDMA (3.6%) has fallen slightly from 2021/22.

Wastewater testing in 2022/23 has revealed a national decline in methamphetamine and MDMA use, and rising cocaine use. Average methamphetamine use per person (mg per day/1000 people) fell in every district, while cocaine use increased in every district, compared with 2021/22. Rates of methamphetamine use were highest in Waikato (average 843mg/day/1000 people). The region with the second highest rate of use was Northland (698mg/day/1000 people).

The Eastern district had the largest percentage rise (450%) in the rate of cocaine use to an average 12mg/day/1000 population, however, rates remain far below those of Tāmaki Makaurau. Per capita, cocaine use was more than 2.5 times higher in Tāmaki Makaurau than in any other region (97mg/day/1000 population). 
The region with the next highest prevalence was Bay of Plenty (37mg/day/1000 people).⁴

On a per capita basis, MDMA use was highest in the Southern Police district, which includes Dunedin (average 375mg/day/1000 people). The next highest rate was in Canterbury (304mg/day/1000 people).

Aotearoa at a glance

By Police district

Hover or click sections of the map to read.

Cannabis

Cannabis use has increased among older people

14.2% of adults used cannabis last year, around 597,000 people. These numbers have been relatively stable since 2018/19 and have decreased slightly compared to 2021/22.

Men are 1.3 times more likely to report cannabis use in the past year than women.³

Almost one in ten adults aged 55–64 (9.3%) now report using cannabis in the past year, which is a 2.5-fold increase from 2021/22. Looking further back, over the past decade, past-year cannabis use has increased across people of all ages. For example, 6.4% of 64–75-year-olds reported past-year cannabis use in 2022/23, which is around ten times higher than 2012/13.³

Prevalence of past-year cannabis use by age

At least-weekly cannabis use appears to be rising, especially among women.

Since 2016/17, there has been an 80% increase in the prevalence of at least-weekly cannabis smoking by women of all ethnicities and ages.

Since 2016/17, there has been a 100% increase among European women (to 3.63%), and a 77% increase among wāhine Māori (to 10.1%) of at-least weekly cannabis use.

Wāhine Māori are 3.47 times more likely to report weekly cannabis use compared with non-Māori women.³ Māori men are 2.45 times more likely to report weekly cannabis use compared with non-Māori men.

Cannabis use by ethnicity (2022/23)

*Figures for Pacific and Asian ethnicities for past-weekly cannabis use may have a high sampling error. Caution is advised when interpreting these figures.

Disabled people are 3.79 times more likely to report weekly cannabis use than non-disabled people.

In 2022/23, cannabis was reportedly most easily available in Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay, followed by Manawatū-Whanganui, and Bay of Plenty.

The price of cannabis is lowest in Tasman/Nelson/ Marlborough, followed by Taranaki, and Bay of Plenty.

MDMA

MDMA use remains steady, and it is more commonly used by young people

New Zealand’s second most commonly used illicit drug is MDMA (sometimes referred to as ecstasy), with 3.6% of adults reporting use in the past year. MDMA use is concentrated among younger people. 8.1% of those aged 15–24 reported using it last year (about 52,000 people). Use becomes far less common as people get older, with around 0.2% of people aged 55 or older reporting using MDMA.³

MDMA availability may be decreasing. The 2022/23 NZ Drug Trends Survey found that 23% of people said MDMA is now harder to buy, compared with 10% in 2021/22.

Wastewater testing reveals that, per capita, MDMA is used most commonly in the Southern Police district, which includes Dunedin (average 375mg/day/1000 people). Rates of use are also higher than the national average in Canterbury, Wellington, and Tāmaki Makaurau.⁴

MDMA consumption by Police district

Psychedelics 

Psychedelics (or hallucinogens)* can include LSD, psilocybin (found in certain mushrooms), and ketamine.

In 2022/23, 2.5% of adults (around 103,000 people) reported taking psychedelics in the past year, compared with 1.9% in 2017/18.

Over the last decade, more men and women reported taking psychedelics, with 3% of men and 1.8% of women reporting taking psychedelics in the past year.

*The New Zealand Health Survey uses the term ‘hallucinogens’ to describe this class of drugs.

Prevalence of psychedelic use over time by gender

Cocaine

Cocaine appears to be more widely used in the past year, especially in Tāmaki Makaurau

Around 1.3% of adults (around 56,000) reported using cocaine at least once in the previous year. Because the increases in cocaine use have started from a very low baseline, any changing trends should be treated with caution.

Taken together, wastewater testing, NZ Health Survey, and NZ Drug Trends Survey data for 2022/23 all indicate that cocaine use is likely increasing. NZ Health Survey data on cocaine use prevalence does not show as rapid an increase as wastewater testing data, which may indicate that existing cocaine users may be consuming larger amounts, or that the increases in prevalence of use are very recent.

Cocaine use is much more common among men (2.2%) than among women (0.5%).³ In the past decade, Māori have reported a small but statistically significant increase in use, to 2%.

The NZ Drug Trends Survey for 2022/23 found that cocaine is becoming easier to obtain, and that the price has increased compared to previous years.⁵

Wastewater testing also reveals that the total amount of cocaine consumed in Aotearoa has more than doubled in the past two years. Latest figures for July to September 2023 show that cocaine use across those three months was 2.6 kg per week. By contrast, just 0.98 kg was consumed in the same three months of 2022.^13,14

Average amount of cocaine consumed per week

In 2022/23, an average of 97 mg/day/1000 people was consumed, compared with 45 mg/day/1000 people in 2021/22. Cocaine use varies around the country, but it has more than doubled in every region between 2021/22 and 2022/23. Per capita, cocaine consumption is highest in Tāmaki Makaurau, and has more than doubled compared to last year.⁴ 

Cocaine consumption by Police district

Amphetamines, including methamphetamine

Amphetamine use is concentrated in our most deprived neighbourhoods.

Nationally, 1.1% of adults (about 47,000 people) reported using amphetamines like methamphetamine in 2022/23.3 We know that like other illicit drug use, amphetamine use is concentrated in some of our poorest neighbourhoods.

The latest data shows that disabled people are 5.14 times more likely to report amphetamine use than non-disabled people.³

Amphetamine use is significantly more common among men than women. 

Methamphetamine use varies widely across the country. Latest wastewater testing data for 2022/23 reveals that per capita use in the Waikato region is over five times higher than that in the Southern district (843mg/day/1000 people compared with 164mg/day/1000 people).

Methamphetamine use per capita is higher than the national average in every district of the North Island apart from Wellington.⁴

Average methamphetamine consumption by Police district

Methamphetamine consumption by Police district (2022/2023)

Opioids

The prevalence of reported past-year opioid use (including illicit use of drugs like heroin, morphine, methadone, and codeine) has fallen significantly since 2017/18, to a low of 0.4% in 2022/23. This is around 18,000 adults.³

The relatively low prevalence of opioid use means that there can be large variation in the numbers year-to-year.

Prevalence of opioid use over time

The prevalence of opioid use is higher among Māori, who are 4.01 times more likely to report opioid use than non-Māori. Notably, Māori men are 6.04 times more likely to report opioid use than non-Māori men**.³

Disabled adults are 3.54 times more likely to report opioid use in the past year, compared with non-disabled adults.³

*In 2020/21, there was a change to the way the question on drug use was asked in the NZ Health Survey. The Ministry of Health advises caution when comparing results from before 2020/21 with results from 2020/21 and after.  

**Due to the small numbers, caution should be exercised with these figures as they are sensitive to statistical errors.