Legal highs ominous for future communities

The public have been picketing stores, such as Stardust Creations, to protest the sale of legal highs. PHOTO/FILE

This week in Whanganui concerned residents attended a meeting on synthetic cannabis and legal highs and students in Palmerston North protested against the sale of legal highs.

Those who attended made it clear they don't want these drugs in their community.

I wasn't able to attend these events, but I strongly endorse their concerns.

The Psychoactive Substances Act, which came into effect in July, prevents sale to those under 18 and prevents sales from dairies, grocery stores, petrol stations or anywhere alcohol is sold.

The Maori Party supported this bill because it will go some way in reducing harm - it was the right step in the right direction - but it does not address the wider, more prevalent issue of addiction or abuse. What communities are telling us is they don't want the sale of these substances at all.

Communities around the country, including my own electorate of Te Tai Hauauru, report that legal highs are addictive, are causing negative behaviour and are affecting families and relationships.

While these drugs may be legal, we do not know what the long-term effects will be and therefore this makes them unsafe. We know that party pill users are more likely to be male than female, more likely to be Maori and are predominantly aged between 18-34. Users often take these pills while drinking alcohol and/or taking other drugs. Most who are hospitalised after taking party pills also have alcohol and/or cannabis in their system.

Whanganui, Palmerston North and Tokoroa are part of a growing number of towns staging protests outside retail outlets selling the drugs. That's because they want their communities to be a safer place to live, work and raise their families. Despite the voice of opposition it seems that retail outlets are happy to sell their products - even to our most vulnerable including rangatahi, those suffering mental health issues and those already with addictions.

Communities trying to raise awareness about the detrimental effects of legal highs say these products only impact further on issues caused by the addictive nature of tobacco and alcohol - and alcohol and drug dependency support organisations are already seeing people with synthetic cannabis problems. Its high chemical content has abrasive psychological and physical effects.

Other communities like Lower Hutt are calling for outlets to at least be located away from schools and recreational areas that young people walk past every day. But it's not just the retail outlets and where they are located that we should be concerned about. The internet has provided ready access to information about where these stores are located and there is even information circulating on how to make them. Predictably, an industry for legal highs is well and truly established in our communities.

For too long our communities have been dominated by the use of drugs and/or alcohol in the belief that they are necessary to socialise and have a good time.

Yet we have many non-alcoholic, non-smoking and drug-free events like the highly successful Matatini National Kapa Haka, Iwi Pa Wars, waka ama and touch events where our people gather without the use of drugs, alcohol or tobacco.

As one concerned community member has pointed out, in 10 or 20 years we will see a generation of youth many of whom have grown up consuming legal highs - their potential impaired by the use of these drugs - who will now be the adults making decisions for our communities. Is that the future we want for our tamariki and mokopuna?