Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Editorial: Ban legal highs

Kelly Makiha
By Kelly Makiha
Multimedia Journalist·Rotorua Daily Post·
12 Jun, 2013 07:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

A few months ago, someone I know told me she thought her husband was smoking synthetic cannabis.

His moods were all over the place and he seemed "out-of-it" at times. Turns out he was smoking it but has since seen sense and now won't touch the stuff.



Just a
few weeks after that, another friend sent me a text message saying we needed to do more at the Rotorua Daily Post to raise awareness about the dangers of the drug. Her daughter's teen boyfriend was hooked and was selling his possessions to fund his habit.

Each week it seems these shocking cases become more regular.

Now New Zealand Lotteries has taken a stand against the drug, sending letters to independently owned stores across New Zealand selling Lotto products asking them not to sell legal highs from July 1.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Other residents are taking a stand by boycotting the stores that sell synthetic cannabis.

While it might seem a little rich on one hand for what is essentially a gambling outfit to be critical of a legalised product, I believe New Zealand Lotteries should be commended.

We need more of this.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Our local MP Todd McClay has an important role to play with his new title of Associate Health Minister, which includes taking over the Psychoactive Substances Bill - regulating legal highs such as synthetic marijuana. It's time this country banned all such products, and quickly.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Man accused of hit-and-run manslaughter appears in court

26 Jun 03:53 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Second person charged after deaf and blind man's death in alleged hit-and-run

25 Jun 10:59 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Feral goats' days numbered in 'unique' conservation park

25 Jun 07:40 PM

Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Man accused of hit-and-run manslaughter appears in court

Man accused of hit-and-run manslaughter appears in court

26 Jun 03:53 AM

Riki Ronald Edward Lum appeared in the Hamilton District Court today.

Second person charged after deaf and blind man's death in alleged hit-and-run

Second person charged after deaf and blind man's death in alleged hit-and-run

25 Jun 10:59 PM
Feral goats' days numbered in 'unique' conservation park

Feral goats' days numbered in 'unique' conservation park

25 Jun 07:40 PM
'Biggest summer of cricket' shapes up for Bay Oval

'Biggest summer of cricket' shapes up for Bay Oval

25 Jun 07:00 PM
Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style
sponsored

Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP