(Image via Flickr)New Zealand drug researchers have delved into Auckland's sewage system and proved what every Kiwi on their OE in London knows—New Zealand has unusual drug use patterns by international standards, and cocaine usage here is next to nothing.Methamphetamine tops the list of the most commonly detected illegal drug in Auckland, followed by codeine, morphine and methadone.The first wastewater study of drug in use in New Zealand was carried out from May to July 2014. Researchers from Massey University sampled two Auckland treatment plants, servicing a population of 1.3 million people. As well as revealing what drugs Aucklanders were taking during the period, the testing gave a fair idea of how people were using them. Methamphetamine usage was widespread and consistent, detected at similar levels at both catchment locations and present throughout the week. Cocaine was a lot harder to come across, and some of what was discovered wasn't even taken. Possibly flushed down the toilet in a rush to get rid of it."Interestingly, cocaine was only detected in one catchment and only on eight occasions during the testing period," said Associate Professor Chris Wilkins from the SHORE and Whāriki Research Centre who co-authored the study with environmental toxicologists from Queensland University. "Two of the detections identified cocaine but not its metabolite, suggesting the disposal of raw cocaine into the sewer rather than cocaine consumption."The study's findings back up evidence from social surveys that show New Zealanders have concerningly high levels of methamphetamine use, but take less heroin and cocaine compared to other developed Western countries. It attributes this to our geographical isolation, small population and tight border control.While methamphetamine turned up in the sewage system all week long, users of MDMA and ecstasy substitutes saved their drug taking for party nights on the weekend.All of this gels with recent reports of a rise in meth use and addiction. At the start of 2017, police told Fairfax Media that data collected from communities showed fewer people using cannabis and alcohol and more are using meth. Those being admitted to hospital due to meth has risen every year since 2012—jumping 51 per cent between 2014 and 2015.Last year, Women's Refuge told RNZ that methamphetamine use had driven a dramatic increase in their workload, with one centre reporting calls rising from 45 to 168 in two months.According to the National Committee for Addiction Treatment, around 150,000 New Zealanders have addiction problems; just 34,000 receive some form of treatment. They estimate methamphetamines are used by 2.5 percent of the adult population each year. For 18 to 24-year-olds, that figure rises to 8.7 percent. That's compared to 1 percent of the population recreationally using opiates.New Zealand's most prevalent drug—cannabis—was not tested. Because cannabis tends to bind to solids it needs extra testing which is expensive and was outside the budget for a pilot study.An exploratory wastewater analysis study of drug use in Auckland, New Zealand is published in the Drug and Alcohol Review.Additional reporting by Tess McClure.
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