Psychoactive substances grace period over
Hon Anne Tolley
Minister of
Police
Hon Maurice
Williamson
Minister of
Customs
Hon Todd
McClay
Associate Minister of
Health
18 August 2013
Media Statement
Psychoactive substances grace period
over
The Government has sounded a clear
warning to distributors and retailers who deliberately, or
otherwise, contravene recently enacted psychoactive
substance laws.
The 28 day period for submitting
licence applications under the Psychoactive Substances Act
2013 ended this week, with no products or retailers
permitted in the market unless they have been granted an
interim licence by the Psychoactive Substances Regulatory
Authority.
Police Minister Anne Tolley, Customs
Minister Maurice Williamson and Associate Health Minister
Todd McClay say now the first transitional stage of the Act
has ended, there will be little leniency shown to those
operating outside of the law.
“We have seen
numerous examples of unscrupulous retailers peddling
products that have had significant adverse effects on those
taking them, in many cases children,” Mr McClay says in
welcoming the cross-Government approach to ensuring the new
regulatory regime is enforced.
“The Psychoactive
Substances Act puts in place clear rules around the
distribution and sale of these products. Flouting these
rules will simply not be tolerated. From day one the Act
has put in place restrictions on retailers and removed
permanently a very large part of the ’legal-highs’
market, such as dairies and similar stores,” Mr McClay
says.
Police Minister Anne Tolley says evidence of
this cross-Government approach has already been seen with
Police confiscating more than 2000 packets of synthetic
cannabis from a Hamilton dairy, following a tipoff from the
public.
“These products would have a retail value
in excess of $40,000 and were being sold from premises that
children had ready access to. The Act specifically
excludes sales from dairies and to those under 18 years,”
Mrs Tolley says.
“The message needs to get
through that Police are determined to enforce this
law.”
Illegal imports will be stopped at the
border by Customs, which has the technology and resources to
identify such products.
“The Act has closed the
door on a previously unregulated avenue for potentially
harmful substances to be imported into New Zealand. An
import licence is now required for anyone wishing to bring
in these products or substances covered by the Psychoactive
Substances Act. No licence, no shipment – it’s that
simple,” Mr Williamson
says.
ENDS