Utilising an online survey to monitor methamphetamine availability, prices and supply: involvement of organised crime in New Zealand

Differences in drug market conditions, for which data are often limited, can have important implications for the health and social harms of drug use and the related responses by relevant agencies in this field. A key component of monitoring illicit drug markets is developing an understanding of the availability and prices of illicit drugs, which can vary significantly over short periods of time and across small areas. This chapter shows how the New Zealand Drug Trends Survey (NZDTS) was used to provide timely data on methamphetamine availability and prices in New Zealand. The survey results provide important data and insights into the methamphetamine market, such as many rural regions reporting greater methamphetamine availability than the urban regions with the largest cities. Further, this chapter also reports on respondents’ perceptions of the involvement of ‘gangs’ in methamphetamine supply, with respondents from rural regions with high methamphetamine availability and low prices more likely to report buying methamphetamine from a person they identified as a ‘gang member or gang associate’. These findings from the NZDTS can help to inform future investment in health services and direct the focus of relevant public agencies to address both current and emerging areas of concern.