The latest New Zealand Drugs Trends Survey (NZDTS) showed that while the average cost of an ounce of cannabis in Otago had dropped by more than $50, cannabis users in Otago were still paying well above the national average.
Prices for an ounce of cannabis in regions such as Waikato and Taranaki have almost halved since 2024, dropping by $122 and $116, respectively.
Nationally, the average cost was $286. In Otago it was $331.
Southland and the West Coast both paid the second-most for cannabis per ounce at $318.
A local Dunedin drug dealer said he was choosing to run a ‘‘two-tier pricing scheme’’.
That translated to overcharging tertiary students, and giving locals the lower price.
‘‘I’m doing my part in contributing to those statistics by overcharging students,’’ he said.
He said Dunedin locals were generally more ingrained in the local cannabis scene and had more options.
Students, he said, did not.
‘‘They also generally don’t cotton on that they are being overcharged — that’s possibly in general because they’re younger,’’ he said.
His favourite customers were the students who thought they were ‘‘G’s’’ with him, acted ‘‘like they know everything’’, then went away paying more than a local would be asked to pay.
‘‘Since I can get away with it, and I am currently getting away with it, why wouldn’t I do it?’’
Apart from price-gouging students, he said the generally colder climate in the South probably had something to do with the higher price.
Any person with ‘‘dirt and a sunny spot in the yard’’ in Auckland could probably grow cannabis.
The colder climate, risk of multiple frosts and decreased sunlight made it more challenging to grow down here, he said.
‘‘Weed really doesn’t grow that well when the temperature is sitting below 15°C consistently, meaning if you want a good crop in Dunedin you need to really pour some energy, time, expertise, and maybe some cash into the enterprise.’’
