The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA), New Zealand’s largest workplace drug testing provider, released its latest quarterly workplace drug trends report yesterday.
It found in the Otago region, traces of THC (the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis] were involved in 64% of detections, almost identical to previous quarters, while opioids were found in 24.4% — a major increase on the same period last year (15%).
Amphetamine-type substances (ATS) detections were slightly up in the Otago region at 13.4%.
TDDA chief executive Glenn Dobson said the results should not surprise employers, but should serve as a reminder to strengthen their drug-use policies.
‘‘From our perspective, there can be a degree of ease of access to opioids, because obviously they can be prescription medications that are used for other than legitimate reasons,’’ he said.
‘‘So the fact that you’ve got ease of access can increase the usage as well.
‘‘Obviously, an ageing population uses opioids more often. The other option also is that New Zealand is starting to follow what is a global trend around increased opioid use and misuse from a global perspective.’’
THC would continue to dominate trends, Mr Dobson said.
‘‘New Zealand has quite a strong production and supply structure for the THC. We’ve got good growing conditions, and we’ve got a large sector in the population that obviously enjoys using it.’’
He was surprised methamphetamine detection was not higher in Otago and other regions, considering its prevalence ‘‘in the wastewater stats that the government puts out where it still shows methamphetamine use fairly high’’.
‘‘The concern for us is that still the ATS percentage rate is still high.
‘‘It’s a fairly pervasive and dangerous drug.’’
Mr Dobson said in recent times, there had been a lot of media coverage about ‘‘border seizures’’ of illegal drugs.
‘‘Workplace drug testing is at the other end of the scale — we’re around detecting once it comes into the country where it’s been used, and obviously the more we can discuss it, the more we can get the stats out there, the more we can have an impact on the demand side of things.’’
He hoped more detection could reduce drug-related impairment at work.
‘‘But the real thing that jumps out at me for this survey is that from a regional perspective, there are some real variances from region to region to region. ‘‘So for the Otago employers, I’d be saying focus on the stats and the data you see within your region and make sure that your conversations, your education, your training, your policy is aligned with the risks that you’re facing so that it can be managed, so people can get home safely at the end of the day.’’
For the nationwide testing results, tests from 27 sterile clinic locations and over 60 mobile clinics throughout New Zealand were used. All tests were taken between January 1 and March 31, 2026. Data from pre-employment, post-incident and regular and random testing was combined, while testing methods included urine and oral fluid screening
