Legal high sales ad gets police interest

Oamaru police are alarmed that a job selling legal highs has been advertised.

Oamaru police Senior Sergeant Jason McCoy said it was concerning to know there could be another source of legal highs in the district.

"Any recreational supplement provided to the community is not good for society," he said. "We are looking into it and are very aware."

Company Recreational Supplements has placed an advertisement on Indeed Oamaru, for a commission-based job in the legal high industry.

Waitaki District Council community safety and development facilitator Helen Algar said there was no way of predicting the effects it could have.

"It's shocking. You don't know how many people will access it this way," she said.

She said it could also possibly be difficult to gauge the age of those accessing the drugs.

Mrs Algar said just because it is regarded as legal, didn't mean it was a harmless substance.

"It has the potential to be an enormous problem," she said.

"I don't know how you would control this."

Local campaigner Linda Forbes, who has organised two protests in Oamaru, said she was disgusted to hear about the job.

"That pisses me off," she told the Oamaru Mail when she was informed of the advertised position.

"I'm anxious about it. It makes me feel quite sick actually."

The company is looking for someone to keep in regular contact with retail outlets but Mrs Forbes hopes pressure on the retailers through protests will encourage them to stop stocking the legal highs.

Mrs Forbes began her campaign against synthetic cannabis in December and it has continued to gather support.

"There are a lot of people that don't know about these things," she said. "We need to make people aware."

You can follow Mrs Forbes and her protests by visiting her Facebook page, www.facebook.com/HelpStopLegalHighs.