"Once again, we have this product back on the market," Mr McLellan said.
"Until we can identify the ingredients of the product, we can't rule out it contains any of the banned ingredients or the fact they have changed the composition of the product."
Calls to the manufacturer of the product, Lightyears Ahead, were not returned yesterday.
Star Trust spokesman Grant Hall, who represents the majority of the legal high industry, said he was not surprised reformulated products had already appeared on the shelves.
"It is a chemical merry-go-round."
"(Mr Dunne) has done the very best he can under the current law and again this is a perfect example of why the new (Psychoactive Substances) Bill will be so important when we can regulate, control and hopefully mitigate these kinds of things ... and keep these products out of kids' and dairies' hands."
People who manufacture synthetic cannabis products are the lowest examples of humanity in the community, a district court judge says.
Such people did so without any conscience or regard for the community and were motivated by greed, Judge Stephen Coyle said in the Dunedin District Court yesterday.
He was sentencing a man who violently assaulted his former partner while "under the hold" of K2.
Kane Dean Johns, 22, of Dunedin, had admitted a charge of injuring with intent to injure, on December 15 last year.
Given 22 months' jail, with special release conditions for six months past the sentence end, Johns was also ordered to pay $500 emotional harm reparation. And there was a protection order in favour of the victim.
Reviewing the facts, the judge said the relationship between Johns and the victim had ended. Johns wanted to collect some of his property from the woman's house and they drove there together.
On the way, Johns attempted to buy K2 at a shop but was refused.
Infuriated, he became verbally abusive towards the victim.
At her house, Johns grabbed her by the hair and kneed her in the face.
She screamed for help and he kneed her in the face again, striking her mouth. The force of the blow cracked one of her teeth and pushed one back against the roof of her mouth.
Using her hands to shield herself from the blows, the victim received extensive bruising and scratches to the back of one hand.
Johns continued the blows and only stopped when an associate pushed him off the victim.
As the victim tried to leave, Johns put his arm across the gate to stop her and told her "if you snitch, I will slit your throat".
Public defender Andrew Dawson submitted Johns was affected by K2 at the time and under its hold. In custody for about the past five months, Johns had been able to withdraw from K2.
