Smoking among young New Zealanders has risen slightly in the latest survey of household drug use carried out by Massey researchers for the Ministry of Health. Overall, the data from last year shows more people are drinking than in 2003 while the numbers who report using cannabis and amphetamine declined slightly.

The survey is led by Dr Chris Wilkins, from the University’s Centre for Social and Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation, who analysed data collected from national household surveys carried out to survey drug use in 1998, 2001, 2003 and 2006.

Dr Wilkins presented his findings on changes in trends this week to the combined Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs and Cutting Edge Addiction conference in Auckland.

Falling smoking trends were reversed by the 15 to 45-year age group where 35.8 per cent said they had smoked at least once in the previous year compared with 31.1 per cent in 2003. Overall a lower proportion of the population smoked tobacco last year (57.6 per cent) compared with 63.9 per cent in 2001 and 64.4 per cent in 1998.

Other key findings were an increase in the proportion of the population that had drunk alcohol last year 2006 which rose to 85.1 per cent compared with 82.2 per cent in 2003. The researchers say this increase in the number of people drinking alcohol is consistent with the liberalisation of the country’s drinking laws.

Fewer people reported using cannabis last year – 17.9 per cent compared with 20.3 per cent in 2001. The number who reported using amphetamines had dropped but current users report they are using more. Researchers say that although use of amphetamine peaked in New Zealand in 2001 it is still high by international standards.

The survey sample size was 5475 in 1998 (with a 79 per cent response rate), 5504 in 2001 (80 per cent), 3042 in 2003 (68 per cent) and 1902 last year (69 per cent).