As a journalist, I’ve always been interested in covering stories on drugs, from the black-market supply of substances that our politicians outlaw to the law enforcement that targets people who use drugs regardless. In 2016, I began investigating the meth-testing industry, which had ballooned in New Zealand in response to fears that methamphetamine – “P” –manufacturing labs had contaminated people’s homes. Terrified homeowners were forking out tens of thousands of dollars on meth testing and expensive cleans-ups. Those who carried out the testing issued dire warnings about the sheer scale and health ramifications of contamination, boosting their businesses in the process.
The government, meanwhile, began evicting hundreds of people from their state homes if meth was detected, even though there was often not a shred of proof that those
