Community opinion against the legal recreational drug Kronic is gathering momentum with Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean adding her support to have it removed from stores.
Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan, who last week publicly threatened to name and shame retailers who sell the synthetic cannabinoid, said he was pleased with the growing community resistance to Kronic and says society is taking ownership of the issue.
He was thrilled to hear Oamaru community constable Bruce Dow visited five shops in Oamaru last Friday to get them to agree not to sell Kronic, then Waitaki Mayor Alex Familton and Catholic Church Oamaru parish priest Wayne Healey visited three on Saturday with a similar plea.
Last week a Milton dairy which had ordered Kronic backed down and said it would not stock it following a visit from Mr Cadogan last Thursday.
Dunedin police have produced and distributed a poster saying "We choose not to sell synthetic cannabinoids" following calls from concerned Dunedin dairy owners wanting to differentiate themselves from those who choosing to sell Kronic.
Mr Cadogan said he was keen to see similar posters in the Clutha district to raise awareness.Mrs Dean earlier this week backed the community's efforts to get rid of Kronic and other synthetic cannabinoids, saying she shared the community's concerns about the availability of "so-called recreational drugs" and their potential health effects.
She advised people selling them to be very wary and brush-up on the law in regard to underage purchasing or supplying, adding that Parliament was working to put firmer controls in place.
"I'd also like to suggest that in light of the current mood in many communities it could also be a case of seller beware. Tobacco and liquor retailers already know they have to be careful who they sell to," she said.
