Drugs

Why NZ loves doing spots so much

“It appeals to the New Zealand DIY spirit."

New clinics offer free drug checking five days a week

Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin are getting a new regular drug checking service.

Nangs to the door: the curious rise of NZ’s ‘whipped cream’ industry

Why the hell am I so aggressively being advertised whipped cream paraphernalia?

Police issue MDMA warning after 20-year-old dies in Christchurch

Urgent call for people to test their drugs after serious incidents

'War on drugs has failed': Calls for a new way to tackle meth harm in NZ

Several recommendations have been made in a new report to tackle the drug's harm in NZ.

Bracing for fentanyl: NZ experts push for safe drug-using space

“An overdose prevention centre would offer a more compassionate, health-based approach."

Meth laced MDMA tablet found in NZ for first time

Methamphetamine has reportedly been found in an MDMA tablet in New Zealand for the first time.

How microdosing mushrooms can help mental health

More research shows the active ingredient in shrooms can help with the effects of trauma.

Festival drug-checking services will now receive government funding

Drug-checking services at summer festivals will receive government funding for the first time.

Lockdown can mean riskier drug use. Here's some advice to handle that

Right now, it’s more important than ever to have reliable information around safe drug use.

From nangs to comedowns, here's 10 stories about drugs

In case you missed it, last week Re: brought you a whole week of content dedicated to drugs.

I started one of NZ’s first Discord drug servers at 18

The mastermind of one of NZ’s first illegal drug servers was an 18-year-old Wellington student.

Talking to a dark web drug dealer who got caught

A drug dealer shares the story of why he started importing and how he got busted.

Comedowns are the worst, but they don’t have to be

What if it’s not the drug that gives comedowns, but instead the way people take it?

Talking to the brave people who asked their dealers for refunds

A surprising number of students are getting refunds from their drug dealers after buying "MDMA"

The FBI made an app that tricked thousands of drug dealers around the world, including NZ

In NZ, 35 people were arrested and over 900 charges were laid against senior members gang members.

Drug laws need to be scrapped, say advocacy groups

Nearly 25 health and social organisations have signed an open letter asking the Government to repeal and replace current “unfair” drug laws with those that focus…

Why the US Drug Enforcement agency is coming to Aotearoa

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are setting up shop in New Zealand. With the continual growing popularity of Class A drugs like methamphetamine amongst Kiwis, combined…

Pill testing doesn’t make you any more likely to take drugs, research finds

New research has found pill-testing services do not result in people taking MDMA if they had not used the drug before.

The research also found that pill…

40 percent of MDMA in NZ this summer was actually cathinones

Drug checking organisation Know Your Stuff has found nearly 40% of MDMA was actually eutylone.

Drug checking will be made legal in NZ in time for festivals this summer

Drug checking allows people to safely find out what's really in their pills.

Why people are taking the 'date rape' drug

With rising hospitalisations from liquid ecstasy experts say drug checking at festivals is needed.

Stoners tell us why they smoke and how legalising might impact them

Stoners are hidden everywhere. From business executives to teachers, people from all walks of life love to toke every now and then.

The idea of Kiwis being…

A weed dealer on the constant threat of violence that comes with the job

Eighty percent of New Zealanders have tried weed by the age of 21, and between 250,000 and 400,000 of us are using it weekly. But because…

A majority of NZers say they will vote to keep weed illegal

A new poll says majority of NZers would vote against legalising weed.

Explainer: the cannabis referendum that could make weed legal in New Zealand

At this year’s election, as well as voting on who we want to be in government, we will also be asked this question: Do you support the…

How are New Zealanders going to get high during lockdown?

With lockdown now in full effect, drug stock is drying up around the country. We spoke to three New Zealanders to find out how they’re getting…

It’s now legal for New Zealand companies to produce medicinal cannabis

New regulations passed yesterday define how New Zealand companies can grow, manufacture and sell medicinal cannabis. We spoke to three advocates of medicinal cannabis about their…

The West Auckland Bail House Trying to Keep Māori Out of Jail

The number of prisoners waiting for case outcomes is at an all-time high. Like the wider muster population, Māori account for at least half. A West…