Councillor tackles synthetic cannabis

Hamilton City Council is looking to revise its policy around synthetic drugs in the city – including a name and shame campaign – and say they will do anything to drive the sellers of the products out of town.

Cr Angela O’Leary raised the issue at this morning’s full council meeting, and has the support of the rest of her colleagues.

They want to see a policy or bylaw put in place to protect young people in the city, and will seek options to allow this to happen.

The council is able to create an area around sensitive spaces, including schools, playgrounds, play centres, churches and marae, where stores selling synthetic drugs cannot be based.

“It is my hope in by doing that, we will achieve a city wide ban on the sale of synthetic drugs,” said  O’Leary.

Some councillors thought this option would allow for shop owners to get through the loopholes  and want stronger options to be addressed.

Cr Dave Macpherson said the legal high industry has shown that it is perfectly capable of exploiting any possible loophole, and has been doing that for some years.

“It’s quite an evil and insidious industry, it’s got no morals and will exploit every loophole,” he said.

Cr O’Leary’s proposal follows on the police seizure of 2000 packets of synthetic cannabinoid products from a Beerescourt dairy yesterday.

Cr Martin Gallagher thinks the focus needs to be on stores who are selling synthetic cannabis with no right to do so and said they should be named and shamed.

“The focus and the passion very much should be on the supplier and those greedy, grotty people who seek to turn a buck at the expense of all of our children and our grandchildren. Let those greedy, grotty people be named and shamed in whatever way,” he said.

Cr Gallagher is happy for the names of suppliers of synthetic cannabis to be published on the Hamilton City Council website if that is going to be a constructive way to conquer this issue.

He wants to work with others to find a solution to this matter and said it should be a joint approach and joint focus between the Hamilton City Council, the District Health Board and Hamilton Police.

Councillors were asked to report back to the Strategy and Policy Committee on September 17 with recommendations for a draft policy that will include a city wide ban on synthetic cannabis.