A killer strain of synthetic cannabis does not appear to have reached Tauranga but police are still on alert.
New Zealand Police and Chief Coroner Deborah Marshall jointly issued a public warning on Friday after seven deaths in a month were linked to synthetic cannabis in Auckland. An eighth person died overnight on Tuesday.
A spokesman for Bay of Plenty District Health Board had not seen the trend locally but police said they were still concerned.
Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner said police were worried about both synthetic cannabis users and the general public.
"Users of these products can experience severe health issues, such as we've seen in Auckland recently, and users often resort to crime to fund their habit. This, in turn, creates harm for the local community," he said.