Charges for cannabis possession are on the rise – increasing by 50% in two years.

It’s led to criticism from Greens co-leader Chloe Swarbrick – who said there’s a link between the Government’s tough-on-crime rhetoric and a rise in charges.

But police said the rise is roughly in line with increasing use.

According to newly released figures from the Ministry of Justice, 3438 people were charged with possessing cannabis last year.

It compares to 2881 in 2024, and 2287 in 2023.

While a person can be charged with multiple possession offences in a given year, the number of individuals charged with possession has also gone up by 49% since 2023.

Police have largely maintained a discretionary approach to possession of drugs in recent years, with a law change in 2019 requiring officers to consider a health-first approach, rather than a criminal one.

In the years since the law change, cannabis possession charges trended down from a peak of 3719 in 2017, to a low of 2055 in 2021.

2025 saw the highest number of charges since the change.

Of all convictions for cannabis offences, including possession, cultivation and supply, 82% came alongside other charges unrelated to cannabis.

But the number of people being convicted of only cannabis offences is rising too – with 506 last year, compared to 387 convictions recorded in 2023.

Rise in charges corresponds to rise in use - Police

Director of the National Organised Crime Group Detective Superintendent Greg Williams says wastewater testing in the Auckland and Northland region shows cannabis consumption spiking in July 2024.

“If you look at that charging data, it actually perfectly almost reflects what looks like a significant increase in cannabis consumption”.

But he says the charging data doesn’t reflect the number of warnings officers have given to people found in possession of the drug.

Enforcement action is playing a part in reducing consumption, Williams said, with wastewater data suggesting a drop in cannabis use in Auckland shortly after police executed more than 100 search warrants on organised growers from September to November last year.

Those operations led to police seizing more than 10 tonnes of cannabis plants.

He says the large-scale growing operations, often controlled by gangs, provide significant cashflow to supply other harder drugs.

Williams said it is noteworthy the majority of possession charges go alongside other criminal charges – with drug addiction often leading to further offending.

“That’s very similar to methamphetamine, where we do find people being charged with possession of utensils and methamphetamine when they’re caught committing other offending.”

He says cannabis has the highest amount of social harm of any drug in the country – because of the scale of its consumption.

Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick suggested a link between rising charges and the coalition Government coming to power in late 2023.

“This is exactly what happens when you have a Government that says it wants to be tough on crime – without thinking through the consequences of that.”

“Very clearly we have heard a Government that is intent on continuing to fan the flames of the war on drugs. Clearly, the drugs are winning.”

“We need to reckon with reality, and we know that the majority of New Zealanders will have consumed cannabis by the time they are 21 years old.

“We also know hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders are consuming cannabis on a semi-regular basis.

“The question really is whether we think that is something that should absorb police, courts and criminal justice system time, effort and energy.”

Police Minister Mark Mitchell says charges for cannabis possession are an operational decision for police.

“Our police do an outstanding job at enforcing the law, including for cannabis possession which is illegal. These numbers are indicative of that.”

Ethan Griffiths is a political reporter with Newstalk ZB, based in the Parliamentary Press Gallery. He joined NZME as a print journalist in 2020, previously working as an Open Justice reporter in the Bay of Plenty and Wellington, and as a general reporter in Whanganui.