Pubdate: Thu, 01 May 2014
Source: Northern Advocate (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2014 Northern Advocate
Contact:  http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2929
Author: Craig Cooper

BAN OF HIGHS RIGHT THING TO DO

Eventually, for me, it came down to this.

Why does a can of imported tuna display nutritional information and a
list of ingredients including the type of thickener used, the
percentage of tuna (57 per cent) and detail on the colouring (paprika).

Thus allowing me to make an informed choice about consuming this
product.

Why do we know nothing about what's in "synthetic cannabis", a
so-called legal high with potentially addictive and destructive qualities?

In recent months, the public clamour to ban legal highs has given
National a political headache and the country a new health issue.

These drugs have been around a while - in 2001, the NZ Herald ran a
story saying legal-high sellers were being "heavied" by the drug
underworld, unimpressed with the new competition.

In 2001 though, the main concern was around pills. As restrictions
kicked in around pills, synthetic cannabis has become a greater
problem in the past three or four years.

The game is lucrative - stories abound in Whangarei of retailers
turning over $20,000 plus a week in legal-high sales. Only the sellers
know if that is true.

But in the world of commerce where demand is met with supply, can you
blame them for seizing the business opportunity? How different are
they to retailers selling liquor to alcoholics, or tobacco to addicted
smokers?

Coalition partner and United MP Peter Dunne's legislation sought to
further restrict legal highs sales and use, and it did. Retail outlets
dropped from 4000 to 150. Which probably also made the 150 outlet
owners rich.

But it underestimated the latent health issue arising - it turned out
the good people of New Zealand did not want these highs restricted -
they wanted them banned.

Restrictions had worked for pills but only because consumers and
sellers moved to an alternative product - synthetic cannabis. Who
knows where they will move to next ... cannabis?

After democracy kicked into action, a full synthetic high ban is on
the way.

Not before, one imagines, some terse "how do we sort this mess out
Peter?" conversations between John Key and Peter Dunne, mindful of the
approaching election. And still, the issue continues to pose questions.

Is a black market likely to emerge - yes, but for how
long?

Is synthetic cannabis a more viable business option for a criminal
than natural cannabis, taking into account production/growth
comparisons?

John Key has acknowledged the Government got it wrong. One of the
reasons that a full ban was not sought, he said, was the unease at the
animal testing required.

Ironic given legal-high users have become lab rats with side effects
that created enough pressure for a political U-turn. The full ban is
the right thing to do, and we now start cleaning up. And here's hoping
in a year's time, there is little residue left from the legal-high
mess.
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MAP posted-by: Matt