Legal high protest planned for Saturday

Opponents of the sale of psychoactive substances - or legal highs - will be holding another rally in Whangarei this month.

The "Ban Synthetic Cannabinoids Whangarei" Facebook group, organised a street protest in the city earlier this month against the sale and distribution of legal highs as part of a nationwide day of action against the products.

Spokeswoman Darcel Bolton said another rally would be held outside the Brew Shop, in Vine St, from 1pm on Saturday. Ms Bolton said the group will be gathering more signatures for its petition against the sale and distribution of legal synthetic cannabinoids highs in the country.

Whangarei District Council is seeking public feedback on its proposal to limit the sale of psychoactive substances to a three-block area of the CBD. The council can't legally ban the substances but many people want them outlawed.

The council plans to restrict where legal highs can be sold in the central city to Lower Cameron St, Clyde St and Albert St and will only allow legal highs to be sold between 10am and 2pm, 6pm and 8pm. Legal high stores could not be within 300m of each other, meaning a maximum of two to three stores in the zone.

Parliament introduced the Psychoactive Substances Act last year, which gives local authorities the right to develop a locally approved products policy that can determine where such products can be sold. WDC said it would like to ban legal highs completely, but the Act did not allow that so this was considered the best option to reduce harm.

Submissions on the council's plan closed on April 11 and the number of submissions received will be known this week.

There are three firms in Whangarei with interim licences to sell legal highs - House of Fun, Strand Arcade; Buzz Monkey, trading as The Brew Store, 29 Vine St; Smokos Discount Tobacco Specialist, Shop 4, The Strand.