Crafting local policy on legal high ban

PROHIBITION: Clair Mills said the Northland District Health Board supported moves to ban sales of legal highs despite flaws in the legislation. PHOTO/JOHN STONE

Shoppers and retailers in the city centre have been intimidated by knife fights and beggars, submitters to the Draft Psychoactive Substances Policy told Whangarei District Council.

They were speaking at yesterday's hearing of submissions to the draft policy aimed at restricting the sale of legal high drugs.

Mayor Sheryl Mai said the 74 submissions to the draft policy indicated a significant level of community concern.

It restricted sale times and stores had to be more than 300m apart.

Sale of the substances would be restricted to Lower Cameron St, Clyde St and Albert St.

Since the council drafted its local approved product policy (LAPP) in February the Government had changed its own position and banned all substances that had earlier slipped through the net.

"The wind has been taken out of our sails by the government's change in policy," Ms Mai said.

But the council needed its own policy in case the situation changed again, she said.

Two submitters, Margaret Shanley from the Trade Aid Charitable Trust and Stephen Wood from CC's cafe in the Strand Arcade, said the situation was slightly better now the Government has made the drug sales illegal.

"We've had some very undesirable behaviour around our shop," Ms Shanley said.

That included people congregating in groups, begging for money, fights where people pulled knives on each other, adults offering drugs to younger people and aggressive and intimidating behaviour.

"We, like everybody else, are delighted about the change in the laws but we totally support the complete ban of these products. Please include a total ban in your policy," she told the council.

Mr Wood said people used to queue in the morning for the Strand's gates to open so they could get to one of two shops inside that sold legal high products. He said young people would hang around who were intimidating because of their numbers, very loud and either aggressive or "zombie-ish".

WDC Youth Advisory Group representative Brad Olsen said his group was concerned about the social and mental effect of the drugs on young people, and supported the council's position.

Medical Officer of Health Clair Mills said Northland District Health Board supported the draft policy with its emphasis on restricting sales, and supported the Psychoactive Substances Act "but consider it flawed".

Dr Mills said it was possible confining sales to certain areas would concentrate the related antisocial behaviour.

Alcohol was a far more dangerous substance to society, she said. "It raises interesting questions about why we criminalise some things and not others."

The council will hold a closed workshop next week, with the policy likely to be adopted in June.