Whangarei stores selling psychoactive substances would have to move into a "legal high zone" if the council introduced one or stop selling the controversial products, the Government agency that licenses the firms says.
The Whangarei District Council's planning committee has voted to send a draft Psychoactive Substances Policy - which would restrict the sale of the substances (also known as legal highs) to Lower Cameron St, Clyde St and Albert St - to the full council for approval then out for public consultation.
The policy would only allow legal highs to be sold between 10am and 2pm, 6pm and 8pm and the stores could not be within 300 metres of each other, meaning a maximum of two to three stores in the zone. The council is putting the plan out for public submissions from March 3.
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 ban legal highs if it could, but can't so has to minimise potential harm and felt a zone was the best idea.
The Act was introduced after widespread concerns about legal highs and their effects on the community and retailers selling the substances have to get an interim licence from the authority to trade.