John MacDonald: Meth use doubles and here's what needs to happen

I’ve never used meth. And I hope I never do.  

I say “hope” because I think that’s as certain as you can be about a drug like that.  

Because none of us know what’s going to happen in the future and whether we might just find ourselves in a position where we might just feel a bit differently about using it.  

I don't know how many times I’ve read stories about people saying they had no idea they'd end up using meth. And there’s no shortage of them, with use of the drug in New Zealand increasing by 96% in the past two years – nearly doubled.  

Which proves to me that we are losing the battle against this drug and, if we don't do things differently, we’ll lose the war against it as well.  

Which is why I agree with the Labour Party, which is saying today that it’s all well and good for the Prime Minister to be calling on his Police and Justice Ministers to look into the situation.   

Quite rightly, Chris Hipkins is saying that the PM needs to bring the Health Minister into the conversation, as well. Because, whether we like it or not —however we feel about drugs of any sort— if we only keep on treating meth users as criminals, then what are we going to achieve?  

Absolutely nothing. And we’ll have more and more people on the path to meth misery.   

So these latest stats about how much meth is being used are quite something.  

A 96% increase over two years – which is being described as unprecedented. They're saying the social harm caused by meth has a $1.5 billion cost attached to it.  

And the Prime Minister says he is “quite concerned”. In fact, he’s so concerned that he’s getting his Police Minister and his Justice Minister to “look into it”.  

Isn’t it brilliant? When you’re in opposition you’d talk about these numbers and describe it as it a crisis and go on about not enough being done. When you’re in government though, you’re quite concerned, and you get a couple of people to look into it.  

But here’s where I struggle. You see, I'm someone who voted “no” in the cannabis referendum a few years back. And I did that because of the information void there seems to be about the mental health consequences of smoking weed.  

So I said no to weed, but I seem to be a bit more liberal when it comes to meth.  

I can’t explain why, because if there was another cannabis referendum today, I’d probably vote the same way. But, when it comes to meth, I'm convinced that you can’t just treat it as a crime thing.  

Yes, the dealers who trade the stuff are scumbags. Which is where the Prime Minister and the Government seem to be focused – with Christopher Luxon saying it’s why they're cracking down on gangs. And why he's asked Ministers Goldsmith and Mitchell to see what else can be done.  

But don't stop at those two, Prime Minister. You should also be getting Health Minister Simeon Brown and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey involved too. Because Mitchell and Goldsmith can thump the table as much as they like. They can do all the tough guy talk, but that won't change a thing.  

Because, Prime Minister, this huge increase in meth use has happened under your watch —as well as the last government's— and the strongest thing you can say about it is you’re “quite concerned”? 

And the strongest thing you can do is to get your two guys in charge of catching people and locking them up to look into it? 

Don’t get me wrong. The low-lifes who peddle this stuff need targeting. But, most people, when they start using meth —from what I’ve read and heard— there’s a reason.  

Sure, some will give it a go for the thrill, but I reckon most people are using it to block stuff out. And, unless we do something truly meaningful which gets to the nub of what’s going with these people, treating them as criminals won’t

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Morning's Podcast with John McDonald
from News talks'b.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
I've never used meth, as if I tell you if
I had that, I've never used meth, and I hope
I never do. I say hope because I reckon that's
as certain as you can be about a drug like that,
because look, none of us know what's going to happen
in the future and whether we might just find ourselves

(00:35):
in a position where we might just feel a bit
differently about smoking a bit of it or using a
bit of it. I don't know how many times I've
read stories about people saying they had no idea that
they would end up using meth. They had no idea
that one day they would end up a meth addict.
And there's no shortage of users. With this news out

(00:57):
to day that use of the drug in New Zealand
has increased by ninety six percent in the past two years,
so it's nearly doubled, and that just proves to me
that we are losing the battle against this drug and
if we don't do things differently, we will lose the
war as well, which is why I agree with the
Labor Party, which are saying today that's all well and

(01:19):
good for the Prime Minister to be calling on as
police and Justice ministers to look into the situation. But
quite rightly, Chris Hipkins are saying that the Prime Minister
needs to bring the Health Minister into the conversation as well,
because whether we like it or not, however we feel
about drugs of any sort, if we only keep on

(01:39):
treating meth users as criminals, then what are we going
to achieve. I'll tell you what, absolutely nothing, and we'll
have more and more people on the path to meth misery.
So these stats about how much meth has been used
in New Zealand, they're quite something, a ninety six percent
increase over two years. It's been described as unprecedented, it's

(02:04):
the only way to describe it. And it's been reported
that the social harm caused by meth is one point
five billion dollars a year. And what is the Prime
Minister say, Well, the Prime Minister says he is quote
quite concerned. In fact, he's so concerned that he's getting

(02:25):
his police minister and his Justice minister to quote look
into it. Isn't it brilliant that when you're in opposition
you talk about these numbers and describe it as a
crisis and not enough's being done and blah blah blah,
blah blah. When you're in government, though, you're quite concerned
and you get a couple of people to look into it.

(02:45):
And as Labor and others are saying and have been
saying for quite some time, now, this is a health thing.
It's a health thing as much as a crime thing.
But here's where I struggle. All Right, you see, you're
listening to someone who voted no and the cannabis referendum
a few years back, and I did that because of

(03:07):
the information void that there seems to be about the
mental health consequences of smoking weed. So I said no
to weed. But somehow, this is what I'm struggling with.
Somehow I seem to be a bit more liberal when
it comes to meth. Can't explain why, because if there
was another cannabis referendum to day, I'd probably about the
same way. But when it comes to meth and how

(03:32):
much of it has been picked up on the waste
water testing that's done these days, you can't just treat
it as a crime thing. Now. Look, I'm not saying
legalize it or decriminalize it. And yes, the bastards who
trade the stuff, they are, oh, the scumbags, lowes to
the low whatever you want to call them, Which is
where the Prime Minister and the government seems to be focused,

(03:54):
with Christoph Luxen saying yesterday quote it's a reason why
we've gone so hard on gangs and an organ on
organized crime which is driving a lot of the drug trade.
This is the this is the clincher. But I've actually
asked Minister Goldsmith and Mitchell too to say what else
we can be doing. Well, I'm sorry, Prime Minister, don't

(04:14):
stop at those two. You should also be getting Health
Minister Sime and Brown onto it, getting Mental Health Minister,
mental Health Minister Matt Doocy involved too. Because Mitchell and Goldsmith,
they can thump the table as much as they like,
they can do what the tough guy talk, but that
won't change a bloody thing. Because Prime Minister, this huge
increase in meth use has happened under your watch, and

(04:36):
the strongest thing you can say about it is you're
quite concerned. And the strongest thing you can do is
get your two guys in charge of catching people and
locking them up to look into it, don't now look.
Don't get me wrong, as I say, the low lives
who peddle this stuff, they need targeting. But most people
when they start using meth, from what I've read and
what it would have heard with most meth users, there's

(04:59):
a reason behind it. Sure, some will give it a
go for the thrill of the thrill of it, but
I reckon most people are using it to block stuff out.
And unless we do something truly meaningful, unless we do
something that gets to the nub of what's going on
with these people, treating them as criminals won't fix it.

(05:21):
And by not treating meth as a health issue just
as much as a crime issue, but not treating it
particularly as a health issue, that just leaves the problem
in the lapse of parents and brothers and sisters and
friends who not only have to deal with watching someone

(05:41):
they love get lost in addiction, if not worse, but
it also leaves these people on their own desperately finding
help to save the person they love.

Speaker 1 (05:53):
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