Ban Selling of Legalized Cannabis near sensitive organizations

Due to the legislation around selling of this substance, we understand it is not illegal to sell legal synthetic highs to anyone over the age of 18 years, by a 'fit and proper' licence holder with an approved application by the City Council.

However, we believe that there is a moral and ethical issue here, particularly as we have witnessed older people buying the drugs and then selling them to underage people on the street outside the premises of one of these licenced shops.

Also, people with Mental Health issues are more susceptible to using synthetic cannabis and often these drugs can trigger Schizophrenia, Psychosis and Bipolar Disorder.

Studies show that this substance has a potency 5 times greater than that of marijuana and often the base ingredient in the synthetic cannabis is unknown.

Insufficient research has been done to determine both the short term and long term effects of synthetic cannabis. This in itself is problematic. But it has also been known to precipitate long term psychotic disorder in vulnerable individuals, as well as chest pains, heart attacks, and convulsions which have been associated with the use of some synthetic products.

With all of this in mind, we would like to lobby the Dunedin City Council with a proposal that they create an exclusion zone, whereby legalized synthetic highs can not be sold within a 1 kilometre radius of schools, churches, kindergartens and other sensitive places such as Mental Health facilities.

This proposal has come about by the opening of premises selling synthetic cannabis, 2 doors along from Supporting Families Otago, a Mental Health organization supporting people with Mental Illness and their families.

www.supportingfamiliesotago.org.nz