Story: Drugs

Cannabis use in New Zealand

These graphs of cannabis use are derived from a survey of 6,500 New Zealanders between the ages of 16 and 64 which was conducted in 2007/8. The first set of graphs show by gender and age the percentages who had ever used cannabis, had used it in the previous year, and who used it at least weekly. The results suggest that men were consistently more frequent users than women, that regular use tended to decline with age, and that among those aged 18–54 about half had used cannabis in their lifetime. The second set of graphs show the use of cannabis over the previous year by ethnicity and quintiles of deprivation. They suggest that Māori were the most likely to use the drug, with over a quarter doing so, while fewer than one in 25 Asians had used cannabis in the past year. The graph of quintiles of deprivation suggests that use of cannabis over the previous year is fairly evenly spread regardless of economic status.

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Source: 2007/08 New Zealand Alcohol and Drug Use Survey

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How to cite this page:

Jock Phillips, 'Drugs - Cannabis use', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/interactive/39570/cannabis-use-in-new-zealand (accessed 24 April 2024)

Story by Jock Phillips, published 5 Sep 2013