Southland area investigations manager Detective Senior Sergeant Stu Harvey says methamphetamine is more common in Invercargill than Queenstown or Dunedin. PHOTO: ABBEY PALMERAbout 200g to 300g of methamphetamine is consumed in Invercargill each week - a total of up to 9000 ‘‘hits’’ in the city every seven days. Over the past four to five years, wastewater testing had revealed a ‘‘pretty consistent’’ picture of the usage level in Invercargill, where meth made up for 70% of the illicit drugs detected. ‘‘Especially for people that get addicted - it ruins not only their lives but also their family’s lives and breaks them apart. ‘‘People will do whatever it takes to get hold of it [once they’re addicted].’’He had seen meth addiction lead to suicide, an increase in violence, dishonesty and family harm-related incidents and a general rise in the volume of crime in the community.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 01, 2020 20:26 UTC