Research by Massey University associate professor Chris Wilkins has highlighted that contrary to popular belief it is rural New Zealand, not large metropolitan centres, where P’s availability has resoundingly surged.
His research work has revealed small towns and rural areas where gang influence predominates are targeted specifically for P use to maximise gang drug revenue.
Northland, Hawke’s Bay, Waikato, Gisborne, Southland and West Coast are areas that stand out in the online survey his work was based on that received 6300 respondents.
“Northland was a particular stand-out region where 65% of respondents described P as easy to obtain.”
Southland might surprise some for respondents reporting the drug’s ease of availability there but it fits with the profile of a region at risk.
“The predictors for P production are small towns that are distant from large cities, relatively isolated and with a gang influence.
“There are a lot of reasons for wanting to go to these places.”
Wilkins is heartened his research is supported by anecdotal feedback from people in those areas who assure him the drug is proving increasingly easy to get hold of.
“They tell me stories about how a gang establishes and convinces people to stop cultivating cannabis and start on P.
“As gangs like the Headhunters move further south it makes sense to them to locate P labs in rural areas.”
The idyllic image of small rural towns was often far from the reality, with high unemployment and lack of opportunities pushing people toward drug use.
Wilkins said his research will contradict what some government departments feel about drug use being predominately a big city issue.
In Australia more research has been done on drug use specifically by rural workers and farmers.
It is often driven by stress, loneliness and long work hours.
“But we really don’t know the level of use among farm workers here, we don’t have the data to understand it at that level here, it is very much an out-of-sight-out-of-mind issue here and we need more research to be done.”
Willy Leferink of the Federated Farmers farm owners section said he had only ever had one staff member he suspected was on P. However, it is one aspect he keeps in the back of his mind when assessing staff and he is confident it was not an issue among his employees.
“But there is a strong tension on one side between employment law and on the other side about staff behaviour, whether it is around alcohol or other drugs. Do you enter their privacy to determine what they are or are not doing?”
P is a problematic drug in that it is not only highly addictive but it does not hang around in the system, making detection tougher.
Leferink believed the risks of P are greater than many drugs, given its addictive nature and the chemicals are relatively easily available.
“One solution could be also to make gangs illegal.”
Shifting priorities among rural police can also make controlling P more difficult, as limited manpower has patrols capable of covering only so much of the region and only certain areas of infringement.
He is thankful for the 90-day allowance that means a staff member can be dismissed within that time if they are not proving suited to the job, removing any issues around trying to test or assess them.
“But after that it can be very difficult to work through a dismissal. The law makes it hard to get rid of them.”
He also wants to see more education suitable for school leavers who might not be university or polytech material.
“They may not be suited to those places but they may still be intelligent but run the risk they will fall in with the wrong crowd.”
Wilkins hopes to get more funding for his research to drill down further into the behaviour and motivations of drug users in rural and small towns.
“The people living in these areas want to get help with this but they need the data to prove their case to health authorities..”
