Cocaine use appears to be surging in New Zealand. 

The latest NZ Drug Trends Survey reveals the proportion of people reporting cocaine use has almost tripled since 2017, while the price of the drug has fallen by nearly a third. 

Researchers say we could be in the "honeymoon phase", where cocaine looks increasingly normal, affordable, and consequence-free – before the serious harms of addiction start to emerge. 

So how big is New Zealand’s cocaine problem becoming, and where is this trend heading? 

Today on The Front Page, Massey University professor Chris Wilkins joins us to break down the numbers.

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Jane Yee