Synthetic drug use admissions down

The DHB's Mental Health Inpatient Unit reported anecdotally that at least 75 per cent of all people entering the unit had drug and alcohol related issues. Photo / File

Synthetic drug users have continued to show up at the Rotorua Hospital Emergency Department since the products were banned, though numbers presenting have decreased.

The Psychoactive Substances Act - passed in 2013 - regulated the availability of substances but allowed some products to stay on the market. In May 2014, the Psychoactive Substances Amendment Bill ended that interim product approval.

Lakes District Health Board(DHB)assistant communications officer Shan Tapsell said the Rotorua Hospital Emergency Department reported anecdotally that the number of people presenting to the department having used psychoactive substances had reduced since the products' ban.

"There are still people presenting at the emergency department who have used psychoactive substances. The products still appear to be available."

The DHB's Mental Health Inpatient Unit reported anecdotally that at least 75 per cent of all people entering the unit had drug and alcohol related issues, she said. The drugs used included methamphetamine and synthetic drugs.

The Rotorua Daily Post last week reported Te Utuhina Manaakitanga addiction service manager Donna Blair thought the number of people seeking help with psychoactive substances had remained about the same since the ban.

However, the service was concerned about a small spike in the number of people coming through who were using illegally purchased psychoactive substances that had been spiked with methamphetamine.

Rotorua area commander Inspector Bruce Horne acknowledged synthetic drugs were selling on the black market.