Council seeks legal high clout

The range of legal highs for sale before the passing of the Psychoactive Substances Act in July. The number of products has since dropped from several hundred to 46. Photo/File

The Wanganui District Council may be limited in what controls it has over shops selling legal highs, but it is urging the Ministry of Health to put in place a number of measures to give it some clout.

That is the essence of a submission from the council to the Psychoactive Substances Regulatory Authority.

The authority recently released its consultation document aimed at developing controls around the sale of psychoactive substances.

Under new legislation the Government wants to control the importing, manufacturing, selling, supply or possession of legal highs and plans to do that by issuing licences to retail outlets permitted to sell the product.

But councils can develop a local approved products policy (LAPP) which gives them some influence on where they believe those premises should be located; their proximity to other sellers, along with the proximity of those premises to areas such as early childhood centres, schools, churches and community facilities.

Since the Psychoactive Substances Act came into force in July last year, the number of products had dropped from several hundred to 46 and the number of retailers selling them had fallen from about 4000 to less than 170.

While councils cannot prohibit the sale of these products, many communities around the country are arguing for that power.

In a report to the council, policy adviser Ceinwyn Bannister said if the council did not have a LAPP the authority would not be able to take the council's views into consideration.

In its submission to the ministry, the council suggests the authority consult with the council about the individuals seeking the licence. It also wants a limit on the amount of psychoactive substances a retailer can store on their premises at any one time as well as limiting the amount of product a store can sell to an individual customer at any one time.

It also asks for regulation of trading hours as well as the creation of some form of sales tax with some of the income from that tax going back to the community "to counter the social and health costs" associated with the use of legal highs.

The submission said many in Wanganui believed the council had much broader controls over the sale of legal highs when it was only limited to regulating the location of those retail outlets. So it asks for the Ministry of Health to launch an awareness campaign as to the roles of those agencies.