Ilam supermarket labelled drug dealer

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Tue, 06 Dec 2011 6:14p.m.

The National Addiction Centre has likened selling cheap alcohol in Ilam to drug dealing

The National Addiction Centre has likened selling cheap alcohol in Ilam to drug dealing

By Hamish Clarke

Doug Sellman, the head of the National Addiction Centre, has described a supermarket owner as positioning himself to become the biggest drug dealer in the Christchurch suburb of Ilam.

The owner in question is Phil Blackburn who before he has even got going he is being labelled a drug dealer by Mr Sellman, who says cheap alcohol sold in supermarkets is having a detrimental effect on the community.

“The fact is that alcohol is one of the most intoxicating drugs there is of all the recreational drugs,” says Mr Sellman.

Mr Blackman owns a new state of the art $19 million New World and is applying for a licence to sell beer and wine.Ilam already has a number of other supermarket outlets and is close to Canterbury University, and Police say there is no need for any more alcohol shops in the area.

”That area around Ilam already has problems, it is a student area and we believe that will increase liquor abuse,” says Sergeant Al Lawn of the Police Alcohol Strategy and Enforcement”

“The problem has been so bad that the City Council has permanently banned the public consumption of alcohol in the suburbs of Ilam and Riccarton - that means this supermarket here is smack in the middle of the banned area,” he says

Foodstuffs have contested the claims however and until a decision is reached the liquor shelves will remain empty and out of bounds.

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Comments

12 Dec 2011 11:31a.m.

Alex wrote:

I see no reason why they cannot be approved a liquor license, so long as they abide by the rules like everybody else. They may as well not open if they are not permitted to sell, as shoppers will simply go to the other competitors in the area (Countdown and Pac N Save) for the convenience of buying beer & wine in addition to their routine groceries.

08 Dec 2011 09:29a.m.

L. McInnesmc wrote:

"It seems only months ago that we were praising them doing this for our city http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/chch-s-student-volunteer-army-re-activated-4039500" - and I worked with some of them and spent hours packing lunches for them, so know who they are. There are heaps of good students. The problem is with the irresponsible ones, and there are quite a few of them. "Ilam Road everyday last year and I don't think I every had to "wend" my way past vomit and alcohol bottles." You can thank a few responsible residents for regularly cleaning the area or calling for a street sweeping machine. And the ones who regularly had to clean their sections of bottles, vomit, feces as well as repair their fences and mailboxes. "This is a non-issue. Let the police deal with real problems." The real problems were the street parties, bonfires in the road etc that drew most of the police in Chch to control them at times (see the newspaper reports), and the fire dept. Why do you think the police supported the temporary ban, and were the prime movers in getting the permanent ban?

07 Dec 2011 10:44p.m.

Kim wrote:

Agree with the locally owned employable business,how does the other super market giant get away with getting two licences within two minutes of each other. Shut one of them and play fair with a NZ owned and operated business. Who says the students are the majority of the blame everyone was young once but even the older generation have drink driving to answer for.

07 Dec 2011 03:31p.m.

Sam wrote:

This is a new LOCALLY NEW ZEALAND OWNED and operated store, we should be praising these people for bringing more jobs and opportunity into our local community. They have invested $19m yet we attack them, what is wrong with us. No one wants to do all there food shopping then go somewhere else to buy alcohol, so without it this business will not last and our LOCAL ILAM community will lose out on over 100 jobs! What is wrong with us, especially at time when chch is finding it hard to hold on businesses. How dare you.

07 Dec 2011 02:05p.m.

Mitch wrote:

For all his qualifications he's not very smart is he? Good idea Doug, lets reject a responsible locally owned supermarket which employs and sponsors many different people and groups within the local community and grant licences to 2 Australian owned stores (one of which is open 24 hours!) which are right opposite each other on one of the busiest roads in Christchurch. These 2 are amongst many bars, pubs, BYO restaurants, traditional liquor stores and dodgy dairy come cut price spirit stores

"Alcohol is by far the biggest item sold in supermarkets in New Zealand, with recent figures showing that beer tops the list of all products ahead of bread and milk, white wine comes in at number four, and red wine, sparkling wine and other wine feature a little further down the list."
- You need to check where your getting your ‘latest figures’ from because that is an outlandish claim.

"Although disguised as a large family-friendly grocery store, supermarkets are in fact primarily mega-liquor stores which also sell grocery items".
- Once again, based on real figures not ‘latest figures’ provided by pixies and unicorns this is far from the truth.

Sellman, who do you think you are slandering someone as a drug dealer? What a disgraceful thing to claim. As a professor you should know better.

06 Dec 2011 11:23p.m.

Helen wrote:

Oh, those students. What could be worse. It seems only months ago that we were praising them doing this for our city http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/chch-s-student-volunteer-army-re-activated-4039500 and now it's back to the negative slander. I walked down Ilam Road everyday last year and I don't think I every had to "wend" my way past vomit and alcohol bottles. Obviously, you aren't students/ recent graduates. I don't know many students who would shop at New World over Countdown or Pak n Save- no matter how far the walk. This is a non-issue. Let the police deal with real problems.

06 Dec 2011 08:31p.m.

L. McInnes wrote:

The last thing we need in this area is another place selling alcohol to students. This new New World will be very close to the main area of university student accommodation, just over a block away. I've previously seen students carrying cases of beer from the Countdown further away, so this new store will make their purchase that much easier to carry home in bulk. Ilam residents previously asked for and got a temporary alcohol ban during orientation due to problems with alcohol and students. Out of control student parties caused problems. Ilam Primary students had to wend their way through broken glass and vomit every day on the way to school. One weekend I collected nearly 10kg of booze bottles and tins from gutters and grass verges along only half a km of roadway near the school. Then the police requested and got a permanent ban due to the major problems with alcohol in the whole Riccarton and Ilam area. The student union is busy building a new bar on Ilam Road since the old one suffered earthquake damage. Aside from that, there are already at least 7 other liquor stores or supermarkets within walking distance - we don't need another one.

06 Dec 2011 08:27p.m.

monir wrote:

not so good

06 Dec 2011 08:27p.m.

monir wrote:

not so good

06 Dec 2011 07:52p.m.

Steve wrote:

Are supermarkets now so synonymous with cheap wine and beer that contemplating opening one without a liquor license would be heresy? The ability to attract custom with headline beer and wine sale advertising has swung the pendulum towards excessive promotion of a class B drug. The government promotes freedom of choice over common-sense. Ilam is a problem area for drinking and expert evidence shows that easy access to liquor exacerbates the problem: not that evidence of harm of any concern to a right wing government whose freedom of choice mantra is omnipotent.