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National Drugs in Wastewater Testing Programme - Quarter 2, 2023

National Drugs in Wastewater Testing Programme - Quarter 2, 2023

Date Published: 
October 2023

Results are now available for the second quarter (2023) of drugs in wastewater testing, which covers around 75% of New Zealand’s population.

The drugs tested for include methamphetamine, MDMA, cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin. These reports focus on methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine as these drugs are routinely detected by the programme.

Social harm cost estimates have been included in this report. These are derived from the New Zealand Illicit Drug Harm Index 2020 (McFadden M, Bellamore L & MacDonald B. (2021). The New Zealand Illicit Drug Harm Index 2020: Research report. Wellington: Ministry of Health). The Drug Harm Index 2020 provides a conservative measure of the harms associated with the use of illicit drugs in New Zealand and considers both personal and community harms.

Key findings: April – June (Q2 2023)

Methamphetamine

  • An average of 13 kilograms of methamphetamine was consumed across sample sites per week in Q2 2023. This was below the average quantity consumed over the previous four quarters.
  • Of the sites tested, Southern District was the only district to record methamphetamine consumption above its average consumption rate over the previous four quarters.
  • The estimated 13 kilograms of methamphetamine consumed per week in Q2 2023 equates to an estimated weekly social harm cost of $14.4 million.

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)

  • An average of 5.9 kilograms of MDMA was consumed across sample sites per week in Q2 2023. This was below the average quantity consumed per week over the previous four quarters.
  • Of the sites tested, only Bay of Plenty, Tasman and Canterbury Districts recorded MDMA consumption above their respective average consumption rates over the previous four quarters.
  • The 5.9 kilograms of MDMA consumed per week in Q2 2023 equates to an estimated weekly social harm cost of $0.82 million.

Cocaine

  • An average of 1.7 kilograms of cocaine was consumed across sample sites per week in Q2 2023. This remained above the average quantity consumed over the previous four quarters.
  • All districts, except Eastern, recorded above average cocaine consumption when compared with their respective average consumption rates over the previous four quarters.
  • The 1.7 kilograms of cocaine consumed per week in Q2 2023 equates to an estimated weekly social harm cost of $0.5 million.