A spokesperson for drug dealers based in the Wellington region released a statement saying the profession is concerned that the current increase in rent prices may hurt sales during Orientation Week, usually a busy season in the field.
A press release sent to Salient from the organisation states: “It is concerning that, in what usually would be one of our best weeks for sales, students and young people are unfairly being forced to use what little money they have to spend on rent and bond, rather than putting it into their lungs or up their noses”.
“As drug dealers, we simply want people to have a good time in their orientation week. However, with reports of many landlords raising prices $50 dollars or more per week, our organisation fears that many students will be priced out of getting honestly fucked up this week”.
“The Labour Government’s policy of increasing student allowance, while it seemed initially promising for our field, has been poorly implemented. What should have been an extra fifty dollars a week to take the strain off of students, is instead going into the pockets of landlords”.
One Kelburn and Aro Valley based drug dealer who spoke to Salient, but wished to remain anonymous, said, “That extra money should be for pingas and tinnies, not an extra bottle of pinot noir and expensive cheeses for some greedy landlord”. He said rent increases have been disproportionate to house prices or inflation, saying that this is “stopping people from getting properly fucking cooked”. “There’s going to a lot less bloodshot eyes and sore jaws this O-Week, frankly that’s going to be tough for my profession”.
Salient reached out to a representative of the Labour government, but they declined to comment.