Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean is urging a swift end to the continued sale of so-called legal highs and a protest march against the sale of synthetic cannabis in Oamaru is planned.
Mrs Dean said she had written to both Prime Minister John Key and Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne, asking them to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act ''as swiftly as possible''.
She said she appreciated that a lot of work had been put into preparation for an amendment to the Act, but added that residents in the Waitaki electorate continued to express their concerns over synthetic cannabis and ''party drugs''.
''This is why I'm asking the prime minister and the associate health minister to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act as swiftly as is possible. It's time these dangerous yet legal drugs were taken out of our dairies and off our streets.''
She said the substances had caused ''major problems'' for people in Waitaki, and their use impacted not only on users but on families, schools, the police, hospitals and the wider community.
A protest march, organised by the Oamaru-based Facebook group Stop Legal Highs, will start from outside the Meadowbank Dairy in Oamaru on February 16, and although Mrs Dean said she was unable to take part, she would be supporting it, as she was proud the community was taking action itself.
