An archive of recent news articles on the topic of alcohol and drugs.
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Dunne: Kronic clamp-down in weeks
13th July 2011
A legislative clamp-down on synthetic cannabis products is just weeks away, associate health minister Peter Dunne says. Mr Dunne said amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill, currently in its second reading, would be the first item of business at Parliament's next session.The changes would clamp down on synthetic cannabis products as a stop-gap measure until the Government can legislate to reverse the onus of proof and make the industry prove its products are safe before they can be sold.
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Kronic users abusing medical staff, say doctors
13th July 2011
More high-level doctors have joined a chorus of clinicians calling for Kronic to be taken off store shelves, saying hospital staff are being abused and threatened by patients stoned on legal highs. The clinical head of one district health board said Kronic could leave some young users with permanent psychological damage. Dr Sue Mackersey, mental health clinical director at Bay of Plenty District Health Board, cited two cases of patients suffering psychotic episodes from Kronic in the past week alone.
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Alcohol damage a national crisis, group tells PM
23rd June 2011
The Prime Minister has been asked to take a fresh look at alcohol and lead a change in the nation's heavy drinking culture following this month's highly publicised King's College ball. Alcohol Action NZ has written to John Key asking him to strengthen the Alcohol Reform Bill so alcohol-related harm can be avoided. "There are currently 20 ongoing alcohol-related deaths every week and 200 alcohol-related physical and sexual assaults every day in New Zealand," said Professor Doug Sellman, director of the National Addiction Centre and a member of Alcohol Action.
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Study reveals why smokers gain weight when they quit
23rd June 2011
Scientists say they've finally discovered why smokers tend to gain some weight when they kick the habit. It turns out nicotine can rev up brain cells that normally signal people to stop eating when they're full, researchers report in today's edition of the journal Science. The weight connection isn't huge: On average quitters gain less than 4.5 kilograms. Still, it's a worry that many smokers cite when asked why they don't try to quit.
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Kronic shopkeepers feel the heat
22nd June 2011
Dairy owners who stock synthetic cannabis face increasing public pressure, related criminal activity and police visits - and a number have responded by pulling the drugs from their shelves. Many shops said regular customers had taken business elsewhere or angrily asked them why they sell drugs like Kronic. Dunedin police said some stores had been targeted by criminals, with robbers grabbing Kronic instead of cigarettes and alcohol in one instance. Five of the 34 synthetic cannabis retailers in Dunedin gave up stocking the drugs last week after being spoken to by police.
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Kronic a bad trip for the law
22nd June 2011
What looks like marijuana, has the same effects, but can legally be bought by a 10-year-old in most parts of Australia? The answer, as law enforcers across the nation are rapidly learning, is so-called synthetic marijuana, also marketed as Kronic, Purple Haze, Voodoo and Kaos. "They give you a very comparable high to their illegal counterparts but sleep safe knowing that your not gunna get yo ass busted by the po po," explains one of the many websites selling the stuff.
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Kronic use to be curtailed: Govt
21st June 2011
A planned crackdown on "cannabinoid" substances will severely curtail the use of controversial synthetic cannabis product Kronic, Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne says. It was this morning revealed one or two patients are admitted to Auckland Hospital every day with symptoms related to smoking Kronic. A hospital spokesman said most of the patients are aged between 16 and 21.
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School daze
21st June 2011
Debate over teenagers' use of alcohol and drugs has raged in the wake of the death of a King's College student after a school ball last weekend. Frances Morton headed out to find out what students have to say, and just how worried their parents should be.Eloise is a fresh-faced teenager with a blonde ponytail and sweeping uniform skirt that signals her attendance at a good school in central Auckland. The 16-year-old has already planned her illicit substance for the night of her school ball later this year: Ecstasy. "That's what everybody does," she says
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Kronic in the schoolyard, teens suspended
16th June 2011
Three students have been caught with synthetic cannabis at an Auckland high school, and police say other schools have taken disciplinary action over the drugs. The Herald understands three boys from Takapuna Grammar School have been suspended for smoking Kronic, a legal R18 synthetic cannabis product, on school grounds. Kronic and similar products are laced with synthetic cannabinoid chemicals that produce effects similar to cannabis when smoked.
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Judge shops for synthetic cannabis
16th June 2011
The nation's Principal Youth Court Judge has told how he took part in a controlled purchase of cannabis mimic Kronic after first hearing about the drug last month. Judge Andrew Becroft said yesterday that he was worried New Zealand was "behind" on the dangers of the drug, which was "frighteningly easy" to buy from shops. "I was told there was a clear link between the use of Kronic and reoffending, and for one thing it sold for $20, which is the same price as a cannabis tinny.
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