Editorial: Legal highs - We have to make this stuff illegal

It's time for the Government to stop pussy-footing around and come up with a way to make legal highs illegal.

New Zealand is the only country in the world where synthetic cannabis isn't against the law. How on Earth did that happen?

Here in little old clean, green New Zealand, you can purchase these packets of substances that turn your brain upside down - and for some - their lives.

Soon, the onus on who sells synthetic cannabis and where will be in the hands of our local council. They want to make it so hard for these retailers they won't bother setting up shop at all. Good on them.

But wouldn't it be easier if legal highs weren't legal at all?

The Government says it can't legally enforce a ban on what are ever-changing new chemical hybrid products.

Why not? They're the Government, they can make up laws on whatever they want can't they?

There's mounting examples throughout the country why these drugs are bad and need to be banned so it's time this became an election issue.

MP Peter Dunne, who is in charge of the legal highs legislation, is hiding behind the argument that if it's regulated, the Government can control what's in the substances. They say if it goes underground, the black market will make this even more dangerous.

Kiwis are hitting this stuff hard because it's proudly waving the "legal" banner. Let's test that theory and see how many drop off when it's no longer lawful to do it.

New Zealand has seen hundreds of hospitalisations and Australia has had five deaths.

Police are seeing it, hospitals are seeing it, local retailers and residents are seeing it.

I'm not a party pooper. I enjoy a good time, but this to me sounds like a dangerous experiment that needs to be stopped now before it spirals further out of control.