We may even know some of these people.
Despite this, plenty of people are willing to roll the meth dice.
Its use spiked significantly in July 2024 to 29.2kg a week – about double what it had been for several years.
However, the NZ Herald this week reported that it obtained a justice briefing which reveals estimated meth consumption increased in April this year to a record high.
Wastewater testing shows at least 39.6kg (1.98 million common doses) were consumed across sample sites in one week. This was 21% (or 6.8kg) above the average amount consumed in the previous 12 months.
It dropped back in June, but New Zealand is clearly losing the fight, despite valiant efforts to tackle the problem.
The Government announced a multi-agency response to methamphetamine harm last November and its enforcement efforts are well reported.
The plan includes a three-phase awareness campaign.
The first was a small-scale “test and learn” campaign to “establish a presence quickly, raise awareness of harm, test core messaging and build audience insights”.
This took place from December to February and included a video titled “How meth addiction works”. This video reached 855,625 people across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
However, only 450 people watched the full video, with an average view time of two seconds. This first phase cost $100,000 and, based on its online performance, it is hard to describe it as a success.
The ministry papers acknowledge this, saying “the campaign is not generating the levels of attention or interaction typically associated with health behaviour change campaigns”.
There were 77 comments across all platforms, “mostly light-hearted jokes … ”
Meth is not a joke and this initial failure is concerning.
Phase two is a $1.68 million “stop before you start” push that runs through to June next year.
The third phase will be a multi-channel campaign from 2027 to 2029 through a creative agency, costing $2.48m.
New Zealand must try to curb meth use and doing nothing is not an option. But officials must also spend money wisely.
This awareness campaign has had a disappointing online start.
The Government needs assurance that phase two has worked well and has an acceptable return on investment before committing large sums of money to the final part.