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Massive drug bust: 20-year-old in court following $176 million meth seizure 

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Massive drug bust: 20-year-old in court following $176 million meth seizure 

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A man has been charged with attempting to smuggle almost 200kg of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $176 million, into New Zealand disguised as teabags.

The 20-year-old Hong Kong national appeared in Auckland District Court this morning after Customs discovered the drugs hidden inside 10 shipping containers.

It is the largest-ever meth bust carried out by Customs.

READ MORE: Abandoned boat leads police to record $448m haul of methamphetamine

The man was charged over his role in attempting to smuggle an estimated 176kg of methamphetamine, Customs said, with a potential street value of $176 million

The discovery was the result of a 16-month investigation, after Customs identified a company believed to have been set up in June 2015 to smuggle methamphetamine.

In July this year, Customs intercepted 10 shipping containers sent to the company from China, with multiple meth packages concealed within the containers' doors disguised as bags of tea.

The 20-year-old man was arrested following two search warrants in Auckland in early October, where further evidence of his involvement was found, Customs said.

Meth seized from the container doors. Photo / Supplied

Customs group manager intelligence, investigations and enforcement, Jamie Bamford, said the "significant seizure" showed Customs can make a dent in the methamphetamine supply chain.

The border agency continues to use intelligence to target shipments before they arrive, he said.

"Customs remains focused on disrupting transnational smuggling through our role at the border and dismantling the criminal syndicates involved. This operation is ongoing, and we are not ruling out further arrests.

"This seizure will have prevented New Zealand's criminal gangs from profiting from the misery caused by pushing meth through our cities and rural communities," Bamford said.

Meth in the container door. Photo / Supplied

Based on the New Zealand Drug Harm Index, this seizure has prevented a potential social harm of up to $218 million, Customs said.

"As with all our investigations, we will also liaise with our overseas customs counterparts for follow-up investigations in China and Hong Kong."

The man is due to appear in Auckland District Court next month.

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Massive drug bust: 20-year-old in court following $176 million meth seizure

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A man has been charged with attempting to smuggle almost 200kg of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $176 million, into New Zealand disguised as teabags. The 20-year-old Hong Kong national appeared in Auckland District Court this morning after Customs discovered the drugs hidden inside 10 shipping containers.

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Global Drug Survey 2017: How Kiwis are using drugs and booze

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Global Drug Survey 2017: How Kiwis are using drugs and booze

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Nearly 3800 New Zealanders were among the 115,523 people worldwide who took part in the Global Drug Survey 2017. The results of this year's survey are announced today.
The average age of Kiwi respondents was 42, while 64.3 per cent were male, and 35.7 per cent were female.

Check out some of the key findings below.

More than two-thirds of Kiwis who took the survey said they had used at least one illegal drug in their lifetime, and nearly all had used legal drugs (including alcohol and prescription medicines).

Alcohol was New Zealanders' drug of choice last year. More than a third of New Zealanders used cannabis, while numbers using other illegal drugs were in the single digits.

More than a third of us want to cut back on drinking, but we'd rather not get face-to-face help.

We've got the second highest interest in the world in using apps to reduce or stop drinking (50 per cent of those interested in cutting back want to use apps or go online), behind Australia (54.6 per cent).

Keen to cut back? Try the Global Drug Survey's Drinks Meter app.

1466 respondents identified themselves as cannabis users.

Most used cannabis between one and 10 days of the year, while more than one-fifth said they used cannabis 300 or more days. Most Kiwis said they were stoned two or three hours of the day, but 6.8 per cent said they were stoned 12 or more hours.

Although medicinal cannabis is a hot issue right now in New Zealand, very few Kiwis said they're using cannabis for "medical reasons".

When it comes to MDMA, Kiwis are using the drug quite differently to those overseas. We're the most likely to snort the drug (34.3 per cent of users, compared to 10 per cent internationally), and the least likely to dab or lick it (4.8 per cent, compared to 15 per cent internationally).

But is it really MDMA? An enormous drop in prices would suggest not.

Very few Kiwis are using drug-checking services - and it might be the case that what they're buying is something completely different.

In the last year, 180 Kiwis (4.8 per cent) had used novel psychoactive substances, which include legal herbs and energy boosters, and illegal products.

Just 0.37 per cent had used synthetic cannabis - a "very low level" internationally, thanks to the Psychoactive Substances Act, which barred formerly legal highs from sale in 2013, pending safety tests.

And it turns out we're pretty handy when it comes to getting magic mushrooms. Kiwis are the second most-likely group in the world to pick our own. Now that's DIY.

Stuff

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Global Drug Survey 2017: How Kiwis are using drugs and booze

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Nearly 3800 New Zealanders were among the 115,523 people worldwide who took part in the Global Drug Survey 2017. The results of this year's survey are announced today. The average age of Kiwi respondents was 42, while 64.3 per cent were male, and 35.7 per cent were female.

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New Zealand has among highest drug abuse rates in world

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New Zealand has among highest drug abuse rates in world

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New Zealand

9.30am

New Zealand has one of the highest proportions of ecstasy and amphetamine abusers in the world a United Nations survey has found.

The global survey, the first of its type by the UN, said New Zealand and Australia were second only to Thailand on methamphetamine abuse.

It was reported 3.7 per cent of the population of both countries abused the drug.

Australia was also a world leader on ectacsy abuse, with 2.9 per cent of its population abusing the drug.

New Zealand was not far behind on 2.3 per cent.

The drugs are regarded as a health hazard, causing loss of memory, premature decline of other mental facilities and are linked to serious crime.

New Zealand figures could be even worse than the UN reported, Massey University researcher Chris Wilkins told National Radio.

The survey was based on 2001 figures, he said.

The numbers of clandestine labs found by police, recent drug seizures and arrests suggested the use of drugs may have increased since then, he said.

The Ecstasy and Amphetamines Global Survey 2003 said almost all countries reported a strong concentration of abuse of the drugs among young people, particularly in dance and club settings.

More than 40 million people around the world, or one in every 100 people aged 15 and older, used amphetamine-like substances in 2000-2001, the report said.

It found that the use of such stimulants was concentrated among 18 to 20 year-olds.

The drugs were wrongly "perceived as less harmful than other illicit substances, like heroin and cocaine".

"The danger posed by synthetic drugs is already real and is advancing relentlessly," the report concluded.

The problem of amphetamine-type stimulants in Australia was characterised by high levels of abuse and was "serious and growing", it warned.

The report, by the Vienna-based UN Office on Drugs and Crime, said local production of methamphetamine tablets in Australasia was increasing.

It said the drugs were manufactured locally using pseudoephedrine as a chemical precursor -- either bought or stolen from retail outlets or taken from chemical factories, warehouses and factory yards.

"The relatively closed market appears to have disguised the specific nature and extent of the problem for some time," the report said.

However, domestic manufacture of ecstasy was limited. The drugs were mainly imported from Europe, South-East Asia and China.

Imported tablets were often ground up, diluted and resold and were of dubious and inconsistent quality.

Fake ecstasy -- with logos to make the tabs look authentic -- was also being produced locally using ingredients like ketamine, paracetamol and caffeine, the report said.

The Australasian figures reflect a worldwide trend, with the global use of ecstasy estimated to have risen by 70 per cent between 1995-1997 and 2000-2001, while use of amphetamines rose by 40 per cent in the same period.

Worldwide production of amphetamine-like stimulants was estimated at 500 tonnes a year, with seizures rising from four tonnes in 1990/91 to just under 40 tonnes in 2000/01.

Tim Harding, a specialist in drug and alcohol dependence, told National Radio he was not surprised by the figures.

Treatment facilities had told him that five years ago it was rare to see abusers of the drugs.

Now a small percentage were being seen, though alcohol and cannabis had higher numbers of abusers.

Dr Wilkins said methampethamine used in New Zealand was manufactured locally, whereas ecstasy was nearly always imported from Western Europe or Southeast Asia.

Mr Harding said people who used the drugs might not initially suffer adverse affects, but the consequences of continued use were "quite severe".

"When people are young and they are using drugs it's not usually the long-term effects of them that they are actually thinking about, it's the immediate effects and the fun they're going to have with them.

"That's the problem."

Mr Harding said there had to be greater public awareness of the dangers of the drugs, as well as policing it more heavily.

Those who import, manufacture or supply methamphetamine face life imprisonment after legislation passed in Parliament this year moved it from a class B drug to class A.

Drugs are classified according to their risk of harm to the public, with those deemed the most dangerous given a class A classification.

Crime statistics released in March showed a 28.4 per cent increase in drug crimes involving amphetamine-type stimulants, largely due to a rise in local production and distribution.

Penalties were increased to a maximum of life imprisonment for importation, manufacture or supply.

Possession could result in a prison sentence of up to six months, a $1000 fine, or both.

However, Dr Wilkins said it was possible New Zealand's figures and world ranking had been distorted in the UN report.

"New Zealand seems to be tacked on to Australia -- but New Zealand data is not referenced," he told NZPA.

'I got the impression they might have just talked to someone in Australia who said 'this is New Zealand's data'...so there may be some problems there."

While Australia surveyed people over the age of 14, and the UN used data for people up to 65, New Zealand's data was only taken from people aged 15-45.

That would make New Zealand's percentage figure look higher, but if the older age group was added, it would lower the figure, Dr Wilkins said.

Dr Wilkins and his team at Massey University have produced New Zealand's two national drugs surveys.

The next national survey, due out early next year, would include figures on 15 to 65-year-olds, to bring the data on to a par with other countries.

Dr Wilkins said New Zealand should not be alarmed by the UN report, but take a "measured and well-informed" approach.

"People talk about the rates of amphetamine and ecstasy doubling in New Zealand, but it has doubled from just something like 1.5 per cent -- even though New Zealand and Australia might be leading in terms of prevalence rates, it's still a very low level.

"If you compare amphetamine and ecstasy use with cannabis use, alcohol use and tobacco use, it's nowhere near those rates," he said.

- NZPA

Herald Feature: The P epidemic

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New Zealand has among highest drug abuse rates in world - NZ Herald

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New Zealand 9.30am New Zealand has one of the highest proportions of ecstasy and amphetamine abusers in the world a United Nations survey has found. The global survey, the first of its type by the UN, said New Zealand and Australia were second only to Thailand on methamphetamine abuse.

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New Zealand: Where alcohol is normalised - and that means more drinking

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New Zealand: Where alcohol is normalised - and that means more drinking

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Boozing has become normalised in New Zealand, and that means it's likely we'll drink more - and at higher risk levels, new research says.

One of the study's authors, Massey University's Docter Taisia Huckle, said: "What does normalisation look like? It looks like New Zealand.

"We have a situation where alcohol is completely normalised in society, through advertising, marketing and availability, alcohol is reasonably priced."

School children could walk past three liquor outlets on the way to school or see advertising on social media, she said.
READ MORE:
* Dr Cathy: Alcohol and young people
* NZ alcohol sales continue to climb
* Changing the Kiwi booze culture
We're a high-income country - and that means our drinking frequency is higher than middle-income nations, according to the researchers, who studied drinking patterns across 10 nations in a report published on Thursday in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review.

In May, a New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA) document outlined the issue: "While alcohol is consumed and enjoyed by most New Zealanders, well over half a million New Zealanders consume alcohol in a hazardous way.

"Despite its normalisation in society, alcohol is not an ordinary commodity. It is a toxin, an intoxicant and an addictive psychotropic drug. As such, its sale and supply is subject to regulation in virtually every country. The current regulatory environment for the sale and supply of alcohol in New Zealand is not doing enough to protect New Zealanders from alcohol-related harms."

And alcohol sales continue to rise. In the 12 months to March, they reached $1.6 billion - a $200 million increase from last year, Statistics New Zealand figures showed.

Huckle said the study found one in five Kiwi drinkers were consuming at risky levels that were placing them at risk for injuries, chronic disease, and harming others.

"A group of heavy drinkers consumed eight or more drinks on a single occasion."

The research found countries such as England, Scotland, Australia and New Zealand were characterised by about half of the young men aged 20 - 24 years reporting higher-risk drinking.

Older age was associated with drinking more frequently, but smaller typical quantities.

In contrast, middle-income countries showed less frequent drinking higher typical quantities.

However, lower frequencies meant the number of higher risk drinkers were lower overall.

High-frequency, heavier-typical quantity and higher-risk drinking was greater among men than in women in all countries.

In 2017's annual health survey by the Ministry of Health, it was revealed one in five adults drank alcohol in a way that could harm themselves or others.

Despite there being more non-drinkers in the most socio-economically deprived areas, adult drinkers in the most deprived areas were nearly twice as likely to be hazardous drinkers than adult drinkers in the least deprived areas.​

Stuff

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New Zealand: Where alcohol is normalised - and that means more drinking

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Boozing has become normalised in New Zealand, and that means it's likely we'll drink more - and at higher risk levels, new research says. One of the study's authors, Massey University's Docter Taisia Huckle, said: "What does normalisation look like? It looks like New Zealand.

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 Millie Elder-Holmes on drugs, her partner Connor Morris' death and her new life

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 Millie Elder-Holmes on drugs, her partner Connor Morris' death and her new life

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The chronicles of Millie Elder Holmes have sparked debate, outrage, heartbreak and fierce criticism.

But behind the headlines and public opinion, there was a girl establishing who she was and struggling with issues beyond substance abuse.

Just days after the fourth anniversary of her partner Connor Morris' murder, the now-30-year-old has given an insight into her turbulent teenage years, growing up with her father the late, broadcaster Paul Holmes and the traumatising loss of her partner of seven years.

Disruption was never far from Millie despite a privileged upbringing and at a point, she lost her way.

The popular blogger spent the first two years of her life living with her parents in Greece, between Athens and the island of Lesvos, although she has no memory of those early years.

Her birth parents, Hinemoa Elder and Stratis Kabanas, met at a local scooter hire in Greece while Dr Elder was on holiday from London.

When Dr Elder's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer she moved back to New Zealand, taking Millie with her. The pair stayed in New Zealand after the loss of Millie's grandmother.

Dr Elder got a job in television where she met Paul Holmes - Millie's "second dad" who eventually adopted her.

As a child, Millie wasn't dissimilar from others her own age, finding happiness in sports and the outdoors, with dreams of one day becoming a marine biologist.

Dr Elder and Holmes divorced when she was 10, and she spent time equally between his Remuera home in Auckland and her mother's on Waiheke Island.

Millie was just one year old when Holmes first broadcast, and for the next 15 years, the veteran journalist was welcomed into homes at 7pm.

"I didn't understand fame or that my dad was 'famous', he was just my dad. I was extremely privileged and spoilt, but at the time I thought it was so normal," she told Newshub.

"I didn't really fully grasp how hard my dad really worked, he just wasn't at home a lot, which for a child is hard to comprehend, and now looking back I am blown away by his work ethic and dedication to bettering his family and career.

"I remember many times going out with my dad places and people speaking to him in the street, which I hated; it felt very invasive for me, like I constantly had to share him with everyone."

Millie began to feel a sense of pressure, restlessness and unease.

It triggered a rebellious streak within her and the once-aspiring model started lashing out. Though her behaviour was criticised by many and ultimately inexcusable, her loss of control was not without her own reasons.

"I think after my parents got divorced, which was quite public, I began to learn more about my dad in Greece and really feel displaced or like I didn't really belong.

"My family's lives were constantly shared with the New Zealand public which placed a pressure on me. I was constantly worried about the opinions of others and how I was perceived in the public eye, everything was about upholding a good image and it was intense.

"I had a lot of unsupervised time and I managed to drop out of school without my parents finding out for a good two months. I had a lot of opportunities and space to play up."

Her downfall started with changing friend groups and who she was hanging out, with which ultimately lead to her getting into drugs.

She developed a yearning for wanting block out her sense of displacement and the harsh negative image of which she viewed herself.

It was around her 18th birthday Millie smoked meth for the first time. She found out that the man she was dating was a dealer and despite initial shock, decided to try it.

"I felt so distant from my family, I was questioning who I was and where I belonged I decided to create my own little family with the friends I choose, people who were less judgmental and stuck up than my parents' friends that I had grown up with," Millie told Newshub.

She had been using for "a good five years or so" from the first time that she had tried the class-A drug when there was a kidnapping attempt on her.

"It was just a super traumatic situation, Connor made sure nothing happened to me, but it was a huge wakeup call that lead us to wanting a safer life."

When it came to ditching her substance abuse, she invited a whole new set of challenges into her life. One difficulty was that she had been using the drug as a form of escapism.

"To be honest I didn't really want to stop, it was an exciting fast-paced life, and when all that stopped my life changed from that to being at home all day, just doing nothing.

"In the start you think it's just a weekend thing or just for fun, but you do get hooked, and then you completely rely on that substance to get you through the day, you do things that you regret.

"I used to take my dad's petrol card and just spend up hard on it. I did so many hurtful things to my mum and dad, and my dad in Greece could only read about what was happening in the paper.

"I made my little brother's life so hard at school. It's extremely selfish you punish not only yourself in the long run but those who love you the most.

"You also at some point if you stay in that life long enough associate with some really fucking scary crazy people and put yourself in dangerous situations. I saw some f***ed up stuff that even haunts me to this day, shit that one would want to see, and that's damaging. You don't realise it at the time but you can scar yourself for life.

"I believe there is always a reason people start using - it's something to fill a hole, maybe you think that's the only life you deserve, or you do it to show your family you can be independent and you don't need the and it can be so fun and exciting, you can be having the best time, but you don't know that real life is passing you by.

"I watched all my school friends complete university and move overseas and I wanted that so badly.

She eventually accepted the consequences of her actions, which included pleading guilty to drug charges she was convicted of in March 2008 before facing new charges a year later.

"I wish I knew about the damage I was doing to my body - they don't tell you about that. Your hormones your metabolism gets completely messed up, you ruin your body from the inside out.

"It took me years to balance myself out and I'm still, some 10 years on, suffering from hormonal issues."

Her road to recovery was documented across her social media and hope for Millie was formed when she and Morris committed to a life without drugs.

Following a highly-publicised sentencing which saw Holmes initially rush to his daughter's defence before slamming the gang associates she had aligned with, her father eventually accepted Morris' love for Millie and supported their relationship.

Millie had gained thousands of followers on Instagram across her private page and clean living blog, Clean Eatz NZ, and documented her journey, relationship with the Head Hunters affiliate and the safety they found in one another, swapping their former life of crime and revolt for sun-filled holidays and quality time at home in front of the TV.

"It was f*****g hard. I put on a lot of weight, I think for a period I was around 87kg - everyone thought I was pregnant - I hated it but Connor kept me on track.

"I relapsed a couple of times but each time just reassured me I couldn't handle it anymore or the come down and sort of helped me to believe I needed to give in to a different way of life and to rely on something to push me each day."

Pictures of the loved-up couple travelling, creating memories and living their lives as one could be seen scattered across her Instagram. Millie was happy.

So in August of 2014 when a random act of violence took Connor away from her, 18 months after Holmes died from cancer, she was once again faced with a choice.

"There were many times when I contemplated giving it all up, life seemed so pointless to me for a long period, and although the pain doesn't go away, it does fade and you find you can carry on."

The man who killed Connor Morris was Michael Murray. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 after taking a sickle-like tool to Morris' head when a fight broke out between two groups at Massey in west Auckland that August night.

"I was so angry for the longest time, angry sad numb. I think now and last year were really turning points for me, some four years later, but I remember in the months after I was really done with everything, before Connor passed we had planned our lives out and to have that all gone so suddenly was just incomprehensible for me.

"I kept thinking what if he didn't walk up the drive way, we had literally been laughing and chatting 15 minutes before.

"I had videos of us on Snapchat, and then it just turned into the night from hell.

"We used to see stories like that on the news at night as say to each other 'imagine losing a loved one like that, like in a car crash or something' and then it happened.

"I kept asking myself, 'Why? Why us? Why him? What did we do to deserve this horror?'

"I couldn't get it out of my mind. I think in that first year I was so lucky to have his and my family for support, I don't want to think about how I would've tried to cope if I didn't have them around."

Millie says she doesn't hold grudges or ill-feeling towards anyone, including those who have betrayed her, however, Murray stands as the one person she wishes the worst for in this world.

"I hate him with all my being; I don't think we got justice at all."

In the aftermath of saying goodbye to her partner, Millie felt she needed to get away because her loss had been so public.

Unable to go out without being noticed and surrounded by opinions on the events of that night, it was too much.

"Relocating to a place where no one knew my life story let alone how my partner had died was a huge necessity and relief for me. It allowed me to connect and share my story with those who I decided were worthy. "

Today, she is grateful for her biological father who offered her a safe haven in Greece and has found love again with her boyfriend Kosta.

"I couldn't imagine that with all my baggage that I have managed to find love again with someone who accepts me as a whole and cares for me so deeply, I'm grateful for the power I have acquired as a human being, and all the people who have been a part of my journey so far."

Her experiences have made her extremely aware of how precious time really is and she lives now to seize each day, take chances and be brave, although she admits she is also more cautious at the same time.

Millie still has bad dreams, flash backs and triggers which make her relive the horror of helping Connor once he had been struck.

"Movies with a lot of blood or death can set me off, as well as seeing fights in the street that freaks me out. I tend to imagine the worst possible outcome, in semi-dangerous situations."

To anyone who is going through anything traumatic, don't rush yourself, I was shocked at how quickly people expect you to process your grief, but in all honesty, it takes time and a lot of support.

For the past two years she had expanded her social media platforms, today boasting more than 135,000 followers across her two Instagram profiles.

After receiving and trialling hundreds of beauty and health products, Millie teamed up with Jeuneora two years ago, now endorsing the line as one she can proudly stand beside.

"This is the first supplement I simply couldn't give up, the results I have experienced, which includes; rapid hair and nail growth, as well as improvement with overall condition of my skin, digestive health, bloating issues and energy are nothing short of amazing."

After battling through the shocking and unexpected loss of Connor, Millie urges others dealing with trauma to find acceptance on their own terms.

"I was shocked at how quickly people expect you to process your grief, but in all honesty, it takes time and a lot of support.

"I have learnt that happiness is a mindset, not a place you get to once you achieved certain things, because there is always the next thing to aim for.

"Choose to be happy, happy for the people in your life, the roof over your head; the smallest of things because to so many others these are the things they dream for, it's so easy to forget how blessed we really are.

"Life is so precious, too precious to throw away."

Newshub.

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Exclusive: Millie Elder-Holmes on drugs, her partner Connor Morris' death and her new life

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The chronicles of Millie Elder Holmes have sparked debate, outrage, heartbreak and fierce criticism. But behind the headlines and public opinion, there was a girl establishing who she was and struggling with issues beyond substance abuse.

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Alcohol fuelled violence a problem in Paihia

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Alcohol fuelled violence a problem in Paihia

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Bar owners having to break up booze fuelled fights at a notorious tourist hot-spot in the Bay of Islands say they're fed up doing the police's job.

A meeting with police, council, Far North mayor John Carter and Focus Paihia took place on Friday to address drunken behaviour, fighting, vandalism and harassment on Kings Rd, Paihia which increases during summer on Friday and Saturday nights.

Sandpit Poolroom & Bar owner Terry Smith said local businesses have to look out for each other as there are no police around.

Smith and his security guards "move people along" at closing time, around 1am, he said.

But he's reluctant to keep doing so after being punched in the face trying to break up a fight that spilled out onto the street outside another bar a few months ago.

"We're basically going out and doing the police's job," Smith said.

"It's not safe."

Alfresco's Restaurant and Bar Manager Dana Sharp said partygoers spill out onto the beach when the bars close.

"There's broken bottles everywhere, and fires on the beach and all our kids play there so it's not super cool."

Bar staff put themselves at risk breaking up fights, because the Paihia police station is rarely manned and officers are travelling 30 minutes from Kerikeri, she said.

"If there's a problem it's often resolved by the time they get here. We've had to resolve it ourselves.

"Bar owners are doing an amazing job...they're all working together to try and make things better.

"But they don't have support or backing from police. That's the problem we've always had - it's non existent."
Read More:
Life in a resort town: Paihia, Bay of Islands
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Kerikeri police did not reply to phone calls.

Safety measures discussed at the meeting include upgrading CCTV with 24 hour monitoring operating out of Kerikeri police station. Currently there are only a few security cameras and while they record information, they are not monitored.

Far North Councillor Kelly Stratford said the issues of "alcohol, drugs and noise" has been going on for around 30 years.

It often stems from people drinking at home before heading out on the town, she said.

"Like all communities there is an issue with people pre-loading and going off to events and public places and causing a disturbance.

"People come to Paihia to have a holiday and they're being disturbed, and they've had enough."

Far North Mayor John Carter said it's an issue right across the district.

"Sometimes there's unruly behaviour that we need to manage," Carter said. "Often it's our community people that are causing the challenges for us."

St John Far North Acting Territory Manager Nick Scott said anecdotally, the incidents of alcohol related cases "definitely increases" in Paihia over summer.

"St John would certainly welcome any measures to increase security and prevent serious injury. Alcohol related cases are time consuming and mean that we are unable to respond to other emergencies in the local area."

Focus Paihia trustee Roger Dold said stakeholders would form a committee "to scope out what has to be done to solve the problems".

Increased police patrols combined with the reinstatement of community patrols and businesses taking more ownership would make a difference, he said.

"It certainly has to be addressed, we can't turn a blind eye to it.

"Everyone agreed something had to be done."

- Stuff

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Alcohol fuelled violence a problem in Paihia

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Bar owners having to break up booze fuelled fights at a notorious tourist hot-spot in the Bay of Islands say they're fed up doing the police's job. A meeting with police, council, Far North mayor John Carter and Focus Paihia took place on Friday to address drunken behaviour, fighting, vandalism and harassment on Kings Rd, Paihia which increases during summer on Friday and Saturday nights.

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Drug Foundation says regulated market for drugs should be considered 

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Drug Foundation says regulated market for drugs should be considered 

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A regulated market for lower risk drugs should be on the table as politicians seek ways to stop people dying from using synthetic cannabis, the Drug Foundation says.

Executive director Ross Bell has welcomed a move by the Government to urgently seek ways to reduce deaths after new figures showed a big spike in the past year.

"New Zealanders should be really angry that no action was taken 12 months ago. We should be angry that we ignored the warnings. First of all there were seven deaths, then 10, then 20. We didn't act then," Bell said.

It was difficult to keep tabs on what changes were being made to synthetic cannabis as the chemicals changed all the time.

"We didn't have that when these products were regulated where the industry had to prove what was in them.

"They're quite dangerous chemicals and then the added problem is that the way they're manufactured, often people don't know how much they should dilute it, how concentrated the dose is. So often they're spraying high concentrations of this chemical on to the plant matter without getting the right dose," Bell said.

"Fundamentally, a regulated market for lower risk drugs, that could include a regulated market for natural cannabis. I think that should be on the table ... I think it should be part of the mix."

Long-time Wellington drug and alcohol counsellor Roger Brooking said legalising cannabis would go a long way to solving the problem.

"I have so many clients who've told me that the only reason they've purchased synthetics because they couldn't get regular cannabis from their dealer.

"If cannabis was legalised it makes total sense that people would be far less likely to start experimenting with stuff that they don't even know what's in it.

"They want to control the illicit drug, whatever it is. What they need to be doing is legalising cannabis so that people don't buy the synthetics."

Brooking said a referendum on personal use of cannabis was a "complete and utter waste of money".

"The evidence is crystal clear that where drugs have been legalised, in particular where cannabis is legalised. Most of the problems associated with drug use are from enforcement, from the underworld, from gangs getting involved. Its not the drug itself that causes the harm, its the prohibition of the drug that causes the harm," he said.

Cabinet is seeking urgent advice over the spike in deaths linked to the use of synthetic cannabis.

Provisional figures from the coroner show that up to 45 people had died through using synthetic cannabis in the year to June, compared with only two deaths in the previous five years.

The Ministers of Health, Justice, Police and Customs are seeking urgent advice on how to reduce the number of deaths.

Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters has acknowledged that the Government, and previous governments, hadn't come up with solutions that had worked.

Health Minister David Clark said it was deeply concerning that the number of deaths had spiked.

"We need to know as ministers whether there are other things we can do that will work more immediately to address the issue."

Synthetic drugs were constantly being reformulated and it was difficult to keep up with what was on the market but reclassifying them was being reconsidered, Clark said.

Police Minister Stuart Nash said it was difficult to know what was in them.

"The thing about synthetic is you just never know what's in it. So it's everything from people in their back sheds with grass clippings and flyspray rolling stuff up to stuff that's being imported.

"People are dying because we don't know what's in this stuff."

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Drug Foundation says regulated market for drugs should be considered

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A regulated market for lower risk drugs should be on the table as politicians seek ways to stop people dying from using synthetic cannabis, the Drug Foundation says. Executive director Ross Bell has welcomed a move by the Government to urgently seek ways to reduce deaths after new figures showed a big spike in the past year.

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Fewer suspensions for students found with drugs

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Fewer suspensions for students found with drugs

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https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/105534399/fewer-suspensions-for-students-found-with-drugshttps://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/105534399/fewer-suspensions-for-students-found-with-drugs

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Is alcohol addiction a growing problem for NZ teens? 

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Is alcohol addiction a growing problem for NZ teens? 

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Children as young as nine are among hundreds of people under 16 being treated by specialist clinics for alcoholics and drug addicts in greater Auckland.

The number of children being treated by the region's Community Alcohol and Drug Services increased by nearly 20 per cent to 382 last year.

About half were treated for alcohol and the rest for cannabis and other drugs. A further 71 were treated at Waitemata District Health Board emergency departments for intoxication.

Is alcohol addiction a growing problem for NZ teens?

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Is alcohol addiction a growing problem for NZ teens?

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Children as young as nine are among hundreds of people under 16 being treated by specialist clinics for alcoholics and drug addicts in greater Auckland. The number of children being treated by the region's Community Alcohol and Drug Services increased by nearly 20 per cent to 382 last year.

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Central city tragedy: Man dies on Queen St, Auckland, after taking synthetic drugs 

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Central city tragedy: Man dies on Queen St, Auckland, after taking synthetic drugs 

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A man died on Auckland's Queen St in broad daylight last Saturday after using synthetic drugs, the Herald can reveal.

St John confirmed a person died due to synthetic drug use on August 4. Prior to that, the most recently recorded death was in early July.

A spokesperson said staff were called to the incident on Queen St about 1pm .

Police confirmed officers were also called to the sudden death of a man in his 30s on Queen St about 1.15pm the same day.

The man's death had since been referred to the Coroner.

A spokesperon for the Auckland City Mission said they weren't aware of the death.

It comes barely a week on from Cabinet seeking urgent advice over a spike in deaths linked to synthetic drug use.

Provisional figures, released from the Coroner on July 30, showed up to 45 people had died after using synthetic drugs in the year to June. That compared to only two deaths in the previous five years.

Then-acting Prime Minister Winston Peters called the spike "worrying" and said the Ministers of Health, Justice, Police and Customs would be seeking co-ordinated advice on how to best urgently reduce the size and the supply of this drug.

Figures supplied to the Herald by St John reveal 19 synthetics-related call-outs in Auckland since July 30. That number makes up more than half of the 35 total related call-outs nationwide during that time.

In late May, St John's medical director Tony Smith told the Herald there were concerns around a new kind of deadly synthetic drug with violent after effects.

St John has since said the "deadly batch", which caused people to become unconscious and wake up confused, agitated and often violent, had become far less common.

A bill to raise the maximum penalty for supplying synthetic drugs to eight years passed its first reading in Parliament in March with the support of National and NZ First.

This would bring the maximum sentence into line with supplying a Class-C drug, such as cannabis.

The bill has the support of the parents of 22-year-old West Aucklander Calum Jones who, after promising his sister he wouldn't take synthetic drugs, was found lifeless on the floor hours later in September last year.

His parents spoke out at the time in a bid to put pressure on the Government to do more to help struggling addicts and to support their families.

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Central city tragedy: Man dies on Queen St, Auckland, after taking synthetic drugs

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A man died on Auckland's Queen St in broad daylight last Saturday after using synthetic drugs, the Herald can reveal. St John confirmed a person died due to synthetic drug use on August 4. Prior to that, the most recently recorded death was in early July.

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New Zealand has among highest drug abuse rates in world 

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New Zealand has among highest drug abuse rates in world 

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https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3525375

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https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11476953
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11476953

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10 Signs of Alcohol Abuse: When Drinking Becomes a Problem

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10 Signs of Alcohol Abuse: When Drinking Becomes a Problem

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https://m.activebeat.co/your-health/10-signs-of-alcohol-abuse-when-drinking-becomes-a-problem/?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=AB_GGL_NZ_DESK-EnglishSearch&utm_content=s_t_251628099078&cus_widget=kwd-23099173&utm_term=alcohol%20and%20abuse&cus_teaser=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkKbNwfzv3AIV1gQqCh20OwQQEAAYAiAAEgJJIPD_BwE

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Frequent teen drinking leads to problems with alcohol and drug use in adulthood, study finds 

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Frequent teen drinking leads to problems with alcohol and drug use in adulthood, study finds 

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https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12086885

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Call for public alcohol ban on Crate Day

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Call for public alcohol ban on Crate Day

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Officers at the Queenstown Lakes District Council are calling for a district-wide alcohol ban in public places for National Crate Day and have suggested extending daily alcohol ban periods to minimise harm and offensive behaviour.

About 300 people descended on Queenstown's Village Green to celebrate Crate Day in December 2016, a promotion created by a radio station to celebrate the first weekend of summer.

While there were no arrests, the crowd left a huge mess for council contractors to clean up.

The council says disorderly behaviour by some people at the event led to police having to intervene and there were concerns from members of the public who did not feel safe.

The morning after the event, council officers said they saw a significant amount of alcohol-related litter left in the resort town.

QLDC Team Leader (Alcohol) Sian Swinney acknowledged today this was a key influence in the Regulatory team's recommendations to elected councillors to be considered at a meeting later this week.

"The concerns raised by police and council officers demonstrate that the disorder on National Crate Day 2016 was worsened by alcohol consumption," Ms Swinney said.

"Extending the alcohol ban in public areas to apply over a 24-hour period is therefore an appropriate and proportionate response in the interests of public safety and protecting them from alcohol-related nuisance and offensive behaviour.

"And if the recommendation is ultimately adopted, people will still be able to enjoy a drink at home or in licensed premises."

In addition to a district-wide alcohol ban in public places for National Crate Day, the report also recommended extending the current year-round alcohol ban period which applies to areas specified within the bylaw.

"The current ban period is from 10pm on any day through to 8am the following day. We are proposing that ban period starts two hours earlier from 8pm.

"We believe this will create an environment that feels safer for everyone to enjoy and will encourage people to either drink at home or in licensed premises where there are better controls on hand for disorderly behaviour," Ms Swinney said.

The council was required to review its Alcohol Bylaw by the Local Government Act 2002. If the recommendations were adopted by councillors, a period of consultation would be publicly notified allowing the community at least a month to make a submission on the proposal.

An appointed hearings panel would be required to hear submissions and make a final recommendation to full council.

The council meets this week on Thursday.

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Call for public alcohol ban on Crate Day

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Officers at the Queenstown Lakes District Council are calling for a district-wide alcohol ban in public places for National Crate Day and have suggested extending daily alcohol ban periods to minimise harm and offensive behaviour. About 300 people descended on Queenstown's Village Green to celebrate Crate Day in December 2016, a promotion created by a radio station to celebrate the first weekend of summer.

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Has alcoholism become New Zealand's accepted addiction?

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Has alcoholism become New Zealand's accepted addiction?

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As you can see, New Zealanders now consume less alcohol per capita than many other countries, but everyone over the age of 15 is still drinking 8.7L of alcohol here each year.

Russia is the reigning champion of alcohol consumption, with a per capita swig of 13.8L, while our friends in Australia, the UK and US are all drinking in greater amounts than we are.

Kiwis used to have the reputation of being heavy drinkers - and perhaps we still do.

We certainly love a tipple or two, but our tastes have gone from enjoying three or four mass produced beer brands in the 1960s to producing and consuming some of the best wines, craft beers and vodkas on the planet.

The alcohol industry has become a big player in the New Zealand economy.

If you are concerned about your own or another person's alcohol use, you could try calling the Alcohol Drug Helpline (0800 787 797) for confidential help.
But what happens when Kiwis can't stop drinking?
Newshub spoke to Sheila, a 30-something Aucklander who stopped drinking completely when she was 25, because she realized her alcohol addiction was ruining her life.

"People began slowly suggesting to me that maybe there was a problem there, but I didn't really want to hear it.

"What tipped me over the edge was waking up one morning on a Tuesday with a terrible hangover, after promising myself that I wouldn't go out the night before, and that's when I realized I had no control over it anymore," she says.

"That was the main thing that lead me to start looking at stopping."

Sheila says she grew up in a New Zealand where it was completely normal for people to get incredibly drunk, and she began stealing bottles of booze from her parent's liquor cabinet when she was only 14.

She also drunk heavily while attending university.

"It was acceptable to get really drunk at uni, and for someone who's a drinker, it's actually really, really easy for people not to bat an eyelid about what is really anti-social behaviour. It's very normalized."

Sheila's heavy drinking continued as she entered the workforce, but again, her love for alcohol was largely accepted by others.

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Has alcoholism become New Zealand's accepted addiction?

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As you can see, New Zealanders now consume less alcohol per capita than many other countries, but everyone over the age of 15 is still drinking 8.7L of alcohol here each year. Russia is the reigning champion of alcohol consumption, with a per capita swig of 13.8L, while our friends in Australia, the UK and US are all drinking in greater amounts than we are.