“We are seeing the effects on families, young people, workplaces, businesses and neighbourhoods across Whangārei,” she wrote in her letter.
“Many people know someone whose life has been affected by meth, and the harm is causes reaches far beyond the person using it.”
Rameka claimed a shop told her most of its profit came from selling drug paraphernalia, mainly glass pipes associated with methamphetamine.
The Northern Advocate approached the shop for comment about the claim, but staff declined an interview.
However, an anonymous worker at another shop selling glass pipes said drug paraphernalia was not a major point of sale.
After Rameka’s visits, she created R18 signs for shops to display after noticing none had them, meaning there was no indication drug-related items were restricted.
She knew hiding items from view wouldn’t solve the issue but wanted to start a conversation.
“I wasn’t trying to criticise or tell them how to run their business,” Rameka said.
“I just needed to do something – even if it was something small.”
She said she’d been getting messages for months from people expressing concern over the issue.
Following Rameka’s lead, the Northern Advocate visited four $2 shops in Whangārei this week to assess the issue. Three displayed the R18 signs Rameka made.
One shop had no visible drug paraphernalia. Two had glass pipes in a glass cabinet beneath the Eftpos machine, among other items.
Meth pipes in some Whangarei shops are sold with a removable attachment to be used as cannabis pipes. Photo / Brodie Stone
Another store said they did not stock glass pipes but had “water pipes” in a glass cabinet behind the counter, not easily seen.
Prices ranged from $15 to $20 in Whangārei stores, with RNZ reporting prices in the Far North starting at $11 and reaching $25.
On the street, the Northern Advocate approached a grandmother who had bought a toy for her young grandchild to ask about her experience shopping with children at a store that sold drug utensils.
She said her 4-year-old grandson would probably ask what the items were – and might even want one – if he saw them.
An R18 shop worker in Whangārei, who spoke to the Northern Advocate on condition of anonymity, said they sold vapes and vaping products and were strict about keeping under-18s out.
They felt the $2 shops openly selling drug paraphernalia were making a “mockery” of enforcement.
“I went into a shop the other day, and I looked down at where you pay, and there’s pipes, and there’s all sorts of paraphernalia for smoking goodness knows what, and I was thinking, that’s not really appropriate,” the worker said.
They claimed at least two customers a week asked for meth pipes they do not sell.
One shop says glass pipes such as this one pictured were not a major point of sale. Photo / Brodie Stone
RNZ reported it was likely that hundreds, if not thousands, of shops nationwide were selling meth pipes.
Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young said the products’ availability showed demand.
“We know there’s been a significant increase in meth coming into the country and consumption. So we know there’d be demand for the products that go alongside that.”
The issue comes amid wider concern about meth use in Northland after police last month revealed a major operation had taken place to disrupt the region’s meth trade.
Young was disappointed some retailers made profit from selling drug paraphernalia.
She said there needed to be more clarity, similar to recent changes classifying large nitrous oxide canisters as psychoactive substances to make enforcement clearer.
Young wanted the loopholes she believed made enforcement and prosecution “really difficult” to be tightened.
Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young. Photo / Jason Dorday
The Misuse of Drugs (Prohibition of Utensils) Notice 2020 makes it illegal to import, sell or supply bongs, hash pipes and meth pipes.
But Young said some retailers sold the products by implying they were for legal uses such as vases or ornaments.
“ … It is very difficult for the shopkeepers that are doing the right thing when they’re up against people that are not.”
New Zealand Drug Foundation executive director Sarah Helm said it was a criminal offence to supply, import or offer “specified drug utensils” for sale, including pipes, pipe components and other utensils.
The Ministry of Health said current legislation was sufficient to address the retail sale of drug paraphernalia, with rules already defining what was illegal.
Some of the drug paraphernalia sold in shops around Whangārei included glass pipes commonly associated with methamphetamine use.
A spokesperson said they were not aware of clear evidence linking such sales to drug use.
Northland district prevention manager Inspector Dean Robinson said police keep a close eye on the issue and take action where they can under current laws.
He said possessing a glass pipe for meth use is an offence, but police must prove that’s what it was for.
A Whangārei District Council spokesperson said while the sale of drug paraphernalia is managed by central Government, the council still has a strong interest in central city safety.
“We work alongside police and other agencies where appropriate and take community concerns about the visibility and impact of these products seriously.”
The council confirmed drug-related incidents have risen over time in the CBD, particularly during the day, although reports have fallen compared with the same period last year and have decreased at night.
Health Minister Simeon Brown said he had asked officials how the current rules were working in practice and how they were being enforced, adding that drug paraphernalia linked to meth use is already illegal under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.