Record-breaking cocaine use calls for radical shift in government drug policy
Monday, 23 March 2026
Cocaine consumption is at an all time high and experts are calling for a radical shift in government drug policy, saying the current settings just aren’t working.
The National Party says it has no intention of liberalising drug laws, focusing instead on prevention, reducing overdose harm and improving access to treatment and recovery support.
Police wastewater data from the last quarter of last year showed the average quantity of cocaine increased by 98% over the previous four quarters, exceeding MDMA use for the first time ever.
An estimated average of 9.4kg of the Class A drug was consumed each week.
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Methamphetamine use remained high, increasing 8%, while MDMA stayed stable.
It follows Prime Minister Christopher Luxon vowing last week to do more to combat an increased flow of drugs through the Pacific, which he said had become a “super highway”.
NZ Customs said it has intercepted about 14 tonnes of cocaine this year alone, with more drug trafficking in the Pacific this year than the last two years combined.
Drug Foundation executive director Sarah Helm said cocaine consumption had been increasing since mid-2022, with increased harms of addiction and overdose.
She said if the Government did not change the way it looked at drug funding, it would continue to get worse.
“If we could wave a magic wand, we would do two things: vastly increase the spending on addiction treatment and harm reduction, and change our drug laws.
“A long-term under-investment in treatment and harm reduction, coupled with an over-reliance on supply side measures hasn’t worked,” said Helm.
“While these things won’t remove all problems, the evidence is clear that it would reduce the worst harms and provide us with more tools to tackle the increase in harm.“
Dr Rose Crossin said New Zealand had limited power to control the increasingly volatile global drug supply, arguing a “purely prohibition” approach was not working.
In 2022, just 1.4% of the Government’s drug budget was spent on harm reduction, compared to almost 70% spent on enforcement, Crossin’s report, New Zealand’s choice: Funding our drug policy, found.
Crossin said her position was not one of defunding enforcement but of scaling up a neglected health response.
Without immediate investment in harm reduction, New Zealand remained unprepared for any surge in drug fatalities, she said.
New Zealand spent less than half of what Australia spent in its 2021 to 2022 drug budget comparatively.
Where New Zealand spent $489 million ‒ equivalent to a per person spend of $95 ‒ Australia spent $5.45 billion, equivalent to a per-person spend of $210.
Crossin surveyed New Zealand citizens on how they wanted to see $100 of their tax spent responding to illegal drugs, finding there was an appetite in increasing spending on harm prevention and reduction and reducing spend on law enforcement.
National's justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith said it was working hard to turn around the “extremely difficult” issue of meth harm.
“This is not something we can change overnight, and we do expect wastewater results to remain volatile.
“What we’re wanting to see is sustained decreases over time. So, we’ll be continuing to monitor this closely.”
The Government announced a methamphetamine action plan in November last year which was under way.
'We know gangs play a significant role, and police have more powers than ever before to go after them. We are seeing positive results.“
He would not say if the party was considering any law changes or increasing funding ahead of the 2026 election.
Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey said its action plan announced last week increased spending for addiction services by $20m.
High Alert supervisor Jen Vermeulen told The Post the high availability of drugs in the country had changed consumption habits over the past 12 months.
“In the past, you wouldn't have had people consuming a gram of cocaine in a night simply because they couldn't, they didn't have the access.”
Vermeulen said they were seeing more people using greater quantities of substances over the course of an evening and a rise in “polydrug use”, with more people mixing more than one substance at a time.
She attributed most of this harm to mixing alcohol with illicit drugs ‒ most notably ketamine, MDMA, cocaine, but also including LSD, methamphetamine, cannabinoids, and nitrous oxide (NOS).
Political parties weigh in
The Post asked each political party for their strategy on drugs ahead of the election later this year.
The Green Party believed treating drugs as a criminal issue instead of a health issue led to more harm in communities and more cost.
It wanted to see a complete repeal and replacement of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 to reflect this, saying the act represented 50 years of failed ‘war on drugs’ policy that caused harm to users and their community.
“Drugs are winning the war on drugs, they exist whether we want them to or not, and it is a political choice as to whether our response increases or decreases harm,” said Green MP and drug law reform spokesperson Kahurangi Carter.
She wanted to increase funding for addiction services, and address the drivers of drug use ‒ unemployment, housing and access to healthcare.
The Green Party is also calling for cross-party support for a proposed members bill which would provide legal protection for any person asking for medical assistance for drug-related issues.
Labour justice spokesperson Camilla Belich committed to stronger border enforcement and international co-operation to disrupt transnational criminal networks, as well as investments in prevention and treatment programmes.
“It’s not just about how much we spend, but how we are targeting those funds to improve outcomes, as well as making sure our laws are up to date with the realities of the modern illicit drug trade.”
Labour Police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said a stronger focus on disrupting supply, stopping drugs at the border and targeting organised crime was needed, while also ensuring people struggling with addiction accessed support.
“Christopher Luxon promised gang members would never outnumber police, but he’s broken that promise and it’s having devastating impacts in our communities.
“Meth use has surged, business is booming for the gangs, and frontline police are stretched thin.“
Labour would not disclose if it was considering a reform to the act and said its policy would be released ahead of the election.
ACT health spokesperson Todd Stephenson said strong enforcement was needed against those who profit from drugs, especially gangs, alongside a system that supports people to overcome addiction.
He argued against new drug spending, suggesting instead that existing resources could be used, referencing Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee’s work to use proceeds of crime to fund effective initiatives against methamphetamine.
ACT has campaigned on requiring beneficiaries addicted to drugs to participate in addiction services as a condition of their eligibility as a method of harm reduction.
Improving reliable access to legal medicinal cannabis to reduce interactions with criminal drug dealers and increasing information sharing between police, Customs, health, and the Navy were other policy ideas.
The party is open to rewriting the act, saying it was outdated in parts.
NZ First and Te Pāti Māori did not respond by the deadline.