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Researcher defends claims that meth is easier to get than cannabis

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff,
Publish Date
Tue, 13 Mar 2018, 10:03AM
Chris Wilkins says a large amount of P is making it into the regions. (Photo / Getty)

Researcher defends claims that meth is easier to get than cannabis

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff,
Publish Date
Tue, 13 Mar 2018, 10:03AM

The lead researcher behind a Massey University study claiming methamphetamine is now easier to get than cannabis is confident their findings are correct.

The study was carried out through Facebook, asking more than 6000 participants about the availability of drugs they'd used in the last six months.

It found methamphetamine is more available in all regions.

READ MORE:
Drug treatment services struggling to cope with rising meth use: Expert
Study: Meth is more available in NZ than cannabis

Of those questioned 54 per cent said the current availability of methamphetamine was very good, compared to only 14 per cent saying the same about cannabis.

 

Lead researcher Chris Wilkins told Mike Hosking they had 'robust' measures in place to ensure the information provided online by the public was accurate.

"The Internet coverage in New Zealand is now so great, this is actually the best way to get hold of people. The alternative is calling landline telephones so you can clearly see the problems for that.

"When we look through interviews and we look through the whole sample, there's a lot of conistency there in terms of how they have assessed different drug markets.

"We're as confident as we are with a traditional approach."

 

LISTEN TO CHRIS WILKINS TALK WITH MIKE HOSKING ABOVE

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