Otago is leading the country in ketamine use as new data reveals the region is a particular hotbed for the increasingly popular party drug.
The latest New Zealand Drugs Trends Survey (NZDTS) showed ketamine had become a popular ‘‘party drug’’ option, and had been carving a ‘‘niche’’ for itself in the affordable drug market.
Otago had the highest use of ketamine, while Wellington was a close second.
Massey University’s SHORE and Whariki Research Centre team member Dr Robin van der Sanden said the party drug scene had ‘‘undergone a great deal of change’’ in the past few years as cocaine and ketamine became more available across the country.
That meant people were spoiled for choice — 25% of people from Otago who took part in the survey reported using ketamine within the past six months.
Many people who took part in the survey who said they took ketamine also reported they were students, and tended to be of a younger age.
Dr van der Sanden said this explained why there was such a prevalence of the drug in Otago.
‘‘Ketamine has emerged globally in recent years, and seems to be carving out a niche for itself alongside other ‘mainstream’ illegal drugs like MDMA, cocaine and methamphetamine, which suggests it’s becoming an established drug in its own right.’’
Last year, the average price for a gram of ketamine was $196 in Otago.
That is compared with cocaine at $368 per gram, MDMA, $218 per gram, and meth, $385 per gram.
Ketamine is a class C controlled drug in New Zealand and has a legitimate medical use as an anaesthetic.
However, it was increasingly being used recreationally, and was quickly on its way to becoming ‘‘mainstream’’ globally, the NZDTS said.
