Workers sacked for smoking cannabis before work might start to question the right of fellow employees to take mind-altering drugs without question, the only difference being that those drugs are prescribed by medical professionals.

According to figures released by Pharmac, nearly 10 per cent of New Zealanders took medication for mental illness last year, including a growing numbers on anti-psychotics.

One report said 1.2 million anti-depressant prescriptions were issued for nearly 400,000 individual users. Pharmac says the number of people using anti-psychotics has grown from 64,500 in 2007 to more than 80,000 last year.

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