By Laura Frykberg
The Drug Foundation says the interception of three untested synthetic cannabis substances proves New Zealand’s 35-year-old drug laws are in desperate need of an overhaul.
But the Government says the temporary measures put in place three months ago will have to do, until after the election.
Enjoi products has released a new synthetic cannabis with a different chemical blend to its previously banned products.
After seizing a batch of untested substances at Customs, the Government is checking to see if the company is a repeat offender.
“These are bulk substances, so if Amsterdam Café contains any elements of that it will be caught by the ban which is coming into effect next week,” says Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne.
The ban lasts 12 months and is a temporary measure till the old Drug Act 1975 can be updated to include synthetic cannabis.
It’s an issue the Drug Foundation says politicians have been reluctant to address.
“History is repeating itself,” says Drug Foundation spokesman Ross Bell. “Products hit the market, the Government tries to control them, the industry finds a way to get around those controls. I would suspect that the Government is getting pretty frustrated that the law they operate is pretty weak.”
But the Government says it is a lengthy process to put in place a complex law.
“This is an interim step towards putting the full measures next year once a new Government is in place and in a new office,” says Mr Dunne.
The new law would likely make safety testing the responsibility of manufacturers, which the Drug Foundation and the Government both want.
3 News