Some Queenstown former users of synthetic cannabis have resorted to cannabis plant after the Government banned the formerly legal drug in August, according to the owner of a local shop selling herbal highs.
Sales have halved for Queenstown home-brewing specialists Brew-Worx and Tobacconist since the Government made synthetic cannabis products illegal on August 14.
Store owner and general manager Brendan Cameron said the ban had meant three things for the typical Kronic (synthetic cannabis) user.
"A third have given up, a third have taken to herbal products and a third gone back to or taken up cannabis [plant]."
"The cannabis market has definitely gone up, we've heard, and there has been quite a large increase in users."
When Kronic was a hot topic back in August, Mr Cameron predicted most would turn to marijuana, but he said there were also a surprising number who had taken a new turn with Kronic's demise.
"A lot of people have actually given up because they noticed the health benefits."
Senior Sergeant John Fookes, of the Queenstown police, said since Kronic had been taken off the shelves, he had not noticed a change in the amount of cannabis users or cannabis-related crimes in Queenstown.
Mr Cameron has started stocking more "natural and organic" products from Canada, both "herbal hash[ish]" products. They were a "blend of herbs from the South of Canada" and could be used as incense or smoked legally.
"They're general potpourri," Mr Cameron said.
"We've gone natural and organic and that's what the consumer wanted, as they didn't like the chemicals stored in Kronic."
Leader of the Good Group's Betty's liquor stores Russell Gray said although his stores concentrated more on alcohol sales, there had been a noticeable drop in sales where Kronic had been sold.
"When you're taking a product out and not replacing it with anything, then clearly there has been a noticeable reduction in sales. We will just let it ride until someone comes up with a legal product to replace it."
Betty's has 11 stores in South Island centres, including Queenstown, Frankton, Arrowtown, Wanaka, Timaru, Dunedin, Christchurch and Kaikoura.
Betty's was "trialling" new products of an organic kind, made from organic hops.
"I've no idea whether there is a market for that kind of product yet," Mr Gray said.
He said he hoped former Kronic users had not taken to marijuana: "One hopes that it hasn't driven them underground for illegal products."
