Drug sold at dairies puts young man in mental unit

This father of a 20-year-old who used synthetic cannabis wants parents to boycott dairies selling legal highs. Photo / Brett Phibbs

A father has told of the torment of seeing his son admitted twice to mental health facilities after heavy use of synthetic cannabis.

The man, who does not want to be identified for fear of harming his son's prospects, said the 20-year-old started smoking Kronic in the middle of last year.

The legal drug contains vegetable matter treated with synthetic cannabinoid chemicals to produce effects similar to cannabis when smoked.

The man's son also binged on alcohol and dabbled in other drugs.

But it was soon after he began smoking Kronic that he was admitted to Auckland City Hospital's mental health unit.

After his discharge, his father made sure there was no alcohol in the house, and believed he could stop his son obtaining illegal drugs.

"I didn't even know about the Kronic at that stage."

It was devastating to learn the drug was legal and sold at a dairy not 100m from their North Shore home.

"You feel like going up to the dairy owner and saying, 'I don't care who you sell this to, but if you sell it to my son I'll deal to you."'

His son's continued drug use led to him being admitted to the mental health unit at North Shore Hospital in January. He was discharged a month ago and is drug-free and living in a support house.

The past year had been an ordeal, the man said.

"At the start it was very upsetting, and you're thinking 'where's the pill that we can fix this with?'. But once your mind breaks down, it's really hard work and a long road. I might have this problem now for the rest of my life, dealing with it. I don't know."

He wants products such as Kronic banned. In the meantime, he said parents should consider boycotting their neighbourhood dairy if the synthetic drugs are sold there.

"I'm wondering if we could picket them. Or hand out a leaflet - do you know these guys are selling [synthetic cannabis] gauged to be as strong, if not stronger, than marijuana?

"I think most parents would be horrified if they knew."

Kronic has a strict R18 warning and, under the Smoke-Free Environments Act 1990, can't be sold to minors.

But when the Herald employed a 15-year-old actress to buy Kronic from a Newmarket dairy last week she did so with ease.

Detective Inspector Stuart Mills of the National Drug Intelligence Bureau has said age restrictions are being ignored nationwide: "It's as easy as buying your chewing gum."

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne said a main point from a recent report from the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs was that products such as Kronic were dangerous and being taken up by minors.

However, he told the Herald he resisted making such products controlled substances because "the evidence wasn't strong enough to go that far".

The Government will soon consider a Law Commission recommendation that synthetic drugs must be proved safe before they can be sold.