MAORI CANNABIS USE HIGH

WHANGAREI -- Sixty per cent of Maoris have smoked cannabis at some time in
their lives, a study shows.

The Ministry of Health-funded study, Te Ao Taru Kino - Drug Use Among
Maori, 1998, sampled 1593 Maori people aged between 15 and 45 and explored
patterns and levels of drug use, along with perceptions toward various
issues related to drug use.

Fear of the law was hardly a factor in reasons offered for stopping or
limiting cannabis use, but it was a big reason for people not getting help
to reduce their level of cannabis consumption, the study found.

Co-author Helen Moewaka-Barnes, of Ngati Wai and Ngati Hine descent, said
the study was one of the first of its kind to use such a large sample. It
would probably be followed by others.

"I am particularly interested in looking at things over time and it will be
interesting if there is a law change to see how things change," she said.

Although 60 per cent of those surveyed said they had used cannabis at some
time in their lives, just 26 per cent had used it in the last 12 months,
and 18 per cent saw themselves as current users.

Of those who had never used cannabis, three-quarters either did not like
it, could not get it, or were concerned about the health risks. Fear of
being caught was noted by 11 per cent of people as a reason for not using
the drug.

Among those who had reduced or stopped their cannabis use in the last year,
fear of being caught was hardly a factor in their decision, with not liking
the drug five times more likely to put people off. However, fear of being
caught was the main reason (35 per cent) stopping people getting help to
address their cannabis use. Most though (82 per cent) felt they needed no
help at all.