Tēnā koe Hayden

I acknowledge receipt of your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request below.

Your reference number is IR-01-26-10502.

You can expect a response to your request on or before 23 April 2026 unless an extension is needed.

Ngā mihi, Michelle
Advisor - Police National Headquarters

-----Original Message-----
From: Hayden <[FOI #34219 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 24 March 2026 10:39 AM
To: Ministerial Services <[email address]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Official Information request - Analytical Basis for Cannabis Social Harm Claims (Det. Supt. Williams, 24 March 2026)

CAUTION: This email originated from outside the New Zealand Police Network. DO NOT click links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender and are assured that the content is safe.

Dear New Zealand Police,

Kia ora,

Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following information regarding a public statement made by Detective Superintendent Greg Williams, Director of the National Organised Crime Group, as reported in the NZ Herald on 24 March 2026. Detective Superintendent Williams stated that cannabis "has the highest amount of social harm of any drug in the country because of the scale of its consumption."

I request:

1. All analysis, reports, briefings, or research papers relied upon by Detective Superintendent Williams or NZ Police in reaching the conclusion that cannabis causes the highest social harm of any drug in New Zealand.

2. Confirmation of whether this claim includes or excludes alcohol and tobacco from the comparison. If it excludes legal drugs, confirmation of whether this qualification was communicated to the NZ Herald journalist prior to publication.

3. Any internal media briefing notes, talking points, or communications guidance prepared for Detective Superintendent Williams or NZ Police personnel in relation to the cannabis possession charging data released to the NZ Herald.

4. NZ Police's current position on how cannabis social harm compares to alcohol social harm, given that the Ministry of Health's NZIER analysis (2024) estimates alcohol harm at $9.1 billion annually, while the Drug Harm Index 2023 estimates cannabis harm at approximately $287 million.

5. Any internal assessment by NZ Police of the NZ Drug Harms Ranking Study (Crossin et al., 2023, Journal of Psychopharmacology), which ranked alcohol as the most harmful drug in Aotearoa New Zealand for both the total population and youth, with cannabis ranked below alcohol, methamphetamine, synthetic cannabinoids, and tobacco.

6. Any fact-checking, review, or approval process applied to public statements made by senior police officials regarding drug harm prior to media interviews.

7. Any analysis comparing the total cost of cannabis possession enforcement (police time, court time, legal aid, corrections) against the social harm attributed to cannabis in the Drug Harm Index 2023.

I note that NZ Police's own National Drugs in Wastewater Testing Programme uses the Drug Harm Index to calculate social harm costs and attributed $1.66 billion in annual social harm to methamphetamine, MDMA, and cocaine alone in 2024. This is Police's own published figure. I am requesting confirmation of whether Detective Superintendent Williams' public statement is consistent with Police's own published harm framework, or whether it represents an unsupported personal opinion presented as fact in a national newspaper.

If any information is to be withheld, please specify the grounds under the OIA for each withheld item.

If this request requires substantial collation or research, please contact me to discuss narrowing the scope before refusing under section 18(f).

I expect a response within 20 working days as required by section 15 of the Act.

Ngā mihi,

Hayden Seager
02102420325

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