A comprehensive evaluation of the costs (both personal and to the broader community) of illicit drug use in New Zealand, including legal drugs diverted to the illicit market and excluding alcohol and tobacco.

Produced approximately every four years, the Drug Harm Index (DHI) uses robust data from a range of sources to quantify the illicit substance use harm experienced by individuals and communities as a cost. The figures used in the report are conservative estimates and the real cost of drug harm is likely to be higher.

The Index includes measures for the cost of personal harm due to:

• premature death and loss of quality of life
• cost of harm to family and friends
• cost of crime which funds drug purchases
• economic harm through funds reinvested into other crime and a reduced tax base.

There were several changes incorporated in 2020's DHI that have remained in place for 2023. The most significant of these were:

•  the use of coronial data and hospital admission data in estimating harm, and
•  the use of wastewater analysis to estimate consumption for methamphetamine and cocaine.

Key findings

• the total cost of drug harm in New Zealand has increased by 1.95% to $1.941 billion 
• total personal harm experienced from substances included in the report has increased by 3.81% to $844.71 million
• total community harm experienced from substances included in the report has increased by 0.45% to $1,096 million
• harm per kilo of cocaine has increased by 24%
• total harm from methamphetamine has increased by 5% 
• total harm from MDMA has decreased by 23.8%