30 April 2024
Sam
[FYI request #26425 email]
Kia ora Sam
Your Official Information Act request, reference: GOV-031718
Thank you for your email of 12 April 2024, asking for the following information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
What is the total cost of claims for treatment or supports provided by ACC for harm or ongoing
treatment caused by use of illegal drugs in New Zealand per year? Please list the results by year for all records available, and break them down by type or identifiable
chemical structure of each illegal drug and the reason for Coverage by ACC, with specific reference to
legislation authorising cover and type of accident covered, with estimated cost per incidence.
ACC does not collect information on illegal drug use when claims are lodged
ACC does not require the full details of how an injury occurred because the scheme operates on a no-fault
basis. We provide cover for injuries by virtue of someone having suffered a personal injury. Whether or not
the person was affected by drugs when they became injured is not usually relevant to our decisions on
whether we can cover the claim. Therefore, ACC has limited data about the circumstances in which injuries
occur.
Additional limitations of our claims data
The data set available to ACC is reliant on the information provided on an ACC45 injury claim form, which is
completed when a person seeks treatment for their injury. There is a free-text field ‘accident description’
on the form where a person can provide a brief description of how their accident happened. This field is not
mandatory to complete and not every client does so. Clients who have used illegal drugs will not always
disclose this to their treatment provider, as they are not required to do so for ACC purposes.
Further, we would not be able to cover all possible terms used and aliases for drugs that people may write
in the ACC45 form. We would also not be able to tell the context of why these terms were used, and in
some cases, the use of the drugs may not have been illegal, or the injury may not have been caused by the
use of the drug.
For the above reasons, we are unable to provide an accurate picture of the number of injuries caused by
drug use. As such, we are refusing your request under section 18(g)(i) of the Act as ACC does not collect or
hold this information.
Further information Te Whatu Ora/Health Promotion conducts research in relation to a number of different topics. If you search
‘substance’ several reports can be found which contain some information related to drug use. We
recommend you visit their website at: www.hpa.org.nz/our-work/research/publications.
You may also find useful information on the New Zealand Drug Foundation website, especially on the
‘Articles’ or ‘Drug Data’ tabs
: https://drugfoundation.org.nz/articles?start=0
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public
GOV-031718 Page 1 of 2
ACC may publish a copy of this response on ACC’s website. All requester data, including your name and
contact details, will be removed prior to release. The released response will be made available
www.acc.co.nz/resources/#/category/12. If you have any questions about this response, please get in touch
You can email me at
[email address]. If you are not happy with this response, you can also contact the Ombudsman via
[email address] or by phoning 0800 802 602. Information about how to make a complaint
is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz. Ngā mihi
Christopher Johnston
Manager Official Information Act Services
Government Engagement
GOV-031718 Page 2 of 2
Document Outline
