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Source: ONE News -
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Police and customs seizures are pushing up the price of methamphetamine, or P, because criminals now face a greater risk of getting caught.
That's the finding of an annual drug survey that shows the price of a gram of methamphetamine rose from $610 in 2006, to $738 last year.
The Illicit Drug Monitoring System report has found the price has increased each year.
Lead researcher Dr Chris Wilkins of Massey University said large seizures of P and its main ingredient pseudoephedrine seem to have pushed up the price.
"These may have had a cumulative impact on the stocks of methamphetamine available for sale in subsequent years."
The drug's availability had recovered slightly at the end of last year, suggesting crime syndicates were re-establishing their supply lines.
He said the trade had been badly affected by big interceptions such as a 96kg bust in 2006 and a huge increase in pseudoephedrine seizures from 830,000 tablets in 2003 to more than 5 million last year.
The study also showed there was potential for an increase in intravenous methamphetamine use, a rise in ketamine and oxycodone use, and a possible revival of LSD.
"LSD use declined markedly in New Zealand at the beginning of the decade following the arrival of ecstasy and methamphetamine. We found some evidence that it may be staging a revival particularly among ecstasy users," Wilkins said.
The study found there was a decline in the potency of ecstasy because of worldwide restrictions on the drug's key ingredients, and a ready supply of illegal BZP, party pills, since their ban in New Zealand.
For the latest IDMS, 315 frequent illegal drug users in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch were interviewed between August and December last year.
They were asked about recent trends in use, availability, price and potency of a number of key illegal drug types and any new drugs they might have come across.
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