New Zealand tried for 20 years to curb its methamphetamine crisis. It failed
The meth they traffic is stronger than ever and shipments are growing larger
New Zealand Herald (New Zealand)
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
For twenty years, New Zealand fought methamphetamine and lost. Now, a Herald investigation has examined the impact of the meth epidemic from the inside - spending six months in communities ravaged by meth. The documentary project, named Fighting the Demon, found a country gripped by the second wave of addiction; where users are punished but not helped; creating one of the most lucrative methamphetamine markets in the world. "If you were to ask any significant trafficker what is the best market for meth ... they would say Australia and New Zealand," said Drug Enforcement Agency Canberra attache Kevin Merkel. The figures behind the drug are startling. Meth inflicts an estimated $500 million of social damage a year.
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