More time for say on legal high sales

The public consultation period for the Local Approved Products Policy (LAPP) has been extended to Wednesday 18 February next year.

Council resolved on Thursday to extend the submission period after a recommendation from the Paraparaumu/Raumati Community Board, following its December meeting.  

Community board chair Fiona Vining said there was much concern over the potential future sale of psychoactive substances and given the Christmas holiday period it was considered important for people to have enough time to have a say.  

The community board will facilitate a meeting in the New Year so the community can discuss this matter further, and will invite the Associate Minister and local MPs to attend.   

Council also resolved to approach other councils in the region to garner support for councils in the South Island who are advising Government they want the law relating to psychoactive substances either altered to ban such substances or to empower local authorities to ban them in their areas.  

Separately, Mayor Ross Church wrote earlier this month to Associate Minister of Health, Peter Dunne, to ask why the Ministry is considering allowing psychoactive substance sales, to advise him people in Kāpiti do not want them and to ask for them to be banned. 

The community board supported Council’s position to lobby central government to change legislation to ban the sale of psychoactive substances in Kāpiti. In addition it resolved that on behalf of the community it would not support the recommendation for Option C under the draft Local Approved Products Policy.  

Option C relates to part of the industrial and airport zones west of the Expressway land on Kāpiti Road, which has been identified as the most appropriate location for sales in the District.   

Council opposes the sale of legal highs in Kāpiti but it can only restrict where they can be sold by having a Local Approved Products Policy. Without this the Ministry of Health could grant licenses anywhere in the District. 

Submissions were to have closed on 15 January 2015.     

Legal high sales have effectively been banned since May this year, but some products may become available from next year if they pass tougher tests proving minimal harm to users.