Decades-old tradition is grounded as priority shifts to tackling other drugs, such as meth
Helicopters that have for decades taken to the skies of New Zealand every year to search for cannabis-growing operations will stay on the ground this year amid a shift in policing priorities.
Light aircraft and helicopters have mounted aerial surveillance operations searching for the banned class C drug since the 1970s, but police now say their resources could be better deployed, particularly in the fight against methamphetamine, known locally as P.
Related: New Zealand’s rejection of legalising cannabis is a triumph for fear-mongering | Fiona Hutton
