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Download AudioThe New Zealand Drug Foundation is flagging increasing rates of prosecution of Māori for drug crimes.
Executive director Sarah Helm says the harm from drugs can be amplified by criminal justice approaches to drug use.
That’s why it’s alarming to see the number of prosecutions and convictions of Māori increasing compared to non-Māori, not just for the sale of drugs but for their use.
“Very hard to help people or to get a handle on the impact of drug use when people are being criminalised because they won’t come forward and see help and so that burden of harm of some of the drug use and our criminal justice approach to drugs is unfortunately taking a toll on Māori,” Ms Helm says.
Use of cocaine outstripped methamphetamine in the past year, with 2 percent of Māori using the drug compared with 1-point-3 percent of the general population, and Māori were also over-represented in opioid use and cannabis use – with more wahine Māori now weekly users of cannabis.
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