Cannabis use is "business as usual" in Taranaki, but the attitude towards it seems to have become relaxed, New Plymouth police say.
CIB drug chief Detective Sergeant Greg Gray believes society's opinion towards cannabis has changed because of a recent increase in hard drug use.
"Cannabis has been around for many years and will always remain in society.
However the attitude towards it has definitely changed in light of the prevalence of other drugs present in society today," he says.
New Plymouth police deal with with cannabis daily, making 172 cannabis-related arrests so far this year. This number is average, he says, and so far there has been no substantial increase compared with previous years. "The number is just business as usual, but it is still always a concern. It definitely takes up a large percentage of our drug work."
He says many people are caught using cannabis in one of its many forms. Often people are arrested on an unrelated charge, but will admit to cannabis use or be found in possession of the drug.
"We rely on receiving information from the community and various sources from people who are actively involved in growing and distribution," Mr Gray says.
"We are constantly working towards taking it off the streets."
Detective Constable Frank Melhop, of Hawera, says police come in to contact with cannabis regularly. "It is definitely more common than meth or P - a lot more accessible and widely used," Mr Melhop says.
Despite these concerns, alcohol and tobacco cause the most harm in the country.
Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton said last month that New Zealand needed to act on reducing harm caused by all drugs, whether legal or illegal.
"Why do we make alcohol legal when it causes much more damage than any other drug? Why can we buy tobacco - a killer drug - at the corner dairy?"
Cannabis News 
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