A new study's more than a quarter of New Zealanders, are using pharmaceuticals recreationally

The 2024 New Zealand Drugs Trends Survey of more than 10-thousand people, has also found a quarter of recent psychedelics users did so for therapeutic purposes.

Author Chris Wilkins says the most common responses of people using non-prescribed pharmaceuticals was for pain relief, relaxation or to have fun.

He says there's a simple supply network for the drugs.

Wilkins says most are obtained legally through pharmacies then exchanged through social circles.