Parliament introduced the Psychoactive Substances Act last year. Photo / John Stone
The deadline for submissions on the Whangarei District Council's plan to limit where psychoactive substances can be sold in the city is today.
The council is seeking public feedback on its proposal to limit the sale of psychoactive substances - also known as legal highs - to a three-block area
of the CBD. It can't legally ban the substances but many people want them outlawed.
The council plans to restrict where legal highs can be sold to Lower Cameron St, Clyde St and Albert St and will only allow legal highs to be sold from 10am-2pm and 6pm-8pm. Legal high stores could not be within 300m of each other, meaning a maximum of two to three stores in the zone.
Parliament introduced the Psychoactive Substances Act last year, which gives local authorities the right to develop a locally approved products policy that can determine where such products can be sold. The council said it would like to ban legal highs completely, but the Act did not allow that so this was considered the best option to reduce harm.
Submissions close at 4.30pm today and can be dropped in at the council offices in Rust Ave, or sent in email form to mailroom@wdc.govt.nz.
