New Zealand Facing Cannabis Shortage

Cannabis users who come from or live in states where it is prohibited know the feeling of not being able to find cannabis anywhere, despite how hard they look. Well, New Zealand is experiencing that exact phenomenon right now, only on a national level.

According to The Spinoff, the entire country is experiencing a shortage of cannabis. The plant is illegal in New Zealand, and a police Air Force raid that happened earlier this month grabbed 9,000 plants, quite a significant amount for the small country. Apparently, this happened at a time when crops were already low, driving prices up even higher, and making cannabis users incensed at the difficulty of where to get product.

Anonymous cannabis users are taking to platforms like Twitter and Reddit to complain about the drought, and are reporting astronomical black market prices. Smokers have reported paying upwards of $400 for an ounce and in some cases, as much as $100 for a gram-and-a-half.

However, according to one user, this is a common occurrence that happens almost every summer in the country.

“Be aware that it happens almost every year,” wrote an anonymous New Zealand cannabis subreddit user. “ . . . like every year, it will happen next summer, and every summer after that, just get better prepared next time because you know it’s coming.”

Like most places, there are rumblings of legalization in New Zealand, but as of now, cannabis remains illegal within country limits. As such, availability is completely dependent on the black market, and things like bad harvests and drug raids can drastically drive up prices. It seems that this will remain the case until New Zealand decides to take the legal route. Hopefully, by the time the drought rolls around next summer, there will be some legal options by which residents can obtain cannabis.