MP urges quick legal highs ban

Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean is thrilled that a bill to restrict sale of synthetic cannabis is ready to go before Parliament.

The bill, which Mrs Dean said would be "going through with much speed", is based on reversing the onus of proof so those who profit from the products will have to prove they are safe before they are allowed for sale.

The Government would no longer have to chase down substances after they were on the market.

Mrs Dean said she was so concerned about the impact of drugs like K2 that she was asking the Prime Minister and Peter Dunne to get it through as quickly as possible.

"I'm hoping that [manufacturers] won't be able to [prove that they are safe], because they are not [safe]."

Mrs Dean said the feedback she had received from members of the public and members of parliament was in line with her concerns.

She said there had been a lot of work going on behind the scenes to develop the piece of law.

"So I'm really pleased to see that the bill is ready to go and I will keep on the case," she said.

The sale of "legal high" products has been a hot topic in Oamaru, most recently in the spotlight as Linda Forbes plans another protest against its sale.

On Wednesday, the Oamaru Mail published a story of an Oamaru mother who had watched the synthetic cannabis products turn her "normal" son into a "monster".

Since she went public with her struggle, more people have come forward to tell their stories.

One woman, who will remain anonymous to protect her family, had seen her 19-year-old son, who had been using K2 and Kronic, become aggressive and reclusive.

She described her son as "a young man who was a good athlete and very social with a wide circle of friends".

She said the biggest problem was that, to to his mind, the fact that the products were legal meant they were fine to use.

"It doesn't matter that they haven't been properly tested, and the long term effects of regular use is an unknown. These products and others should be removed from retail outlets until they have been tested, and we are fully informed to what they contain," she said.

"To be able to purchase K2 with your loaf of bread and milk is ridiculous."

An Oamaru father, who also wished to remain unnamed to protect his family, spoke to the Oamaru Mail after realising from reading Wednesday's story that his son was using the synthetic cannabis products.

Before using the legal highs, the man described his son as "happy with a good attitude".

"He has his ups and downs, as per usual, but he's logical, reasonable and he can have a good laugh," he said.

"When he came back [after using], what a different person. Chalk, cheese.

"I was scared, you see the killer look in his eyes."

The man spoke to the Oamaru Mail in the hopes of stopping other people from using the drug, and, ultimately, to see it removed from the shelves.

Oamaru police Senior Sergeant Jason McCoy said synthetic cannabis products were "certainly a factor in relation to committing crime".

"We have seen that on the increase," he said.

"Many offences are a result of people on the substance or are seeking the substance."

Waitaki District Mayor Alex Familton expressed his disappointment that some outlets in Oamaru were still selling the synthetic cannabis products.

"The sale is not acceptable to us and not acceptable to the community in general," he said.

"It's just damnable, that sort of activity."