Dunne welcomes synthetic cannabis kingpin Bowden quitting

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne has welcomed news that synthetic cannabis heavyweight Matt Bowden is quitting the industry.

He said it was tacit acknowledgement that the Misuse of Drugs Act changes that he took through Parliament last week are going to "devastate an unprincipled industry".

"The truth is that for years, Matt Bowden has played a double game of calling for regulation whenever his profits were threatened, while scoring every last dollar as fast as he could with no product standards in place.

"Old sayings about rats and sinking ships come to mind," Mr Dunne said.

"I take his packing it in as the most significant sign yet that the law changes we brought in are going to do exactly what they are intended to do – stop this industry in its tracks and keep young New Zealanders safe from their unproven, untested products," he said.

Mr Dunne yesterday issued the first temporary class drug notice provided for under last week’s amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act.

The notice means that all Kronic and other synthetic cannabis products will be off the market by next Wednesday, August 16.

The 12-month notice lists 16 synthetic cannabis-like substances – which covers all synthetic cannabis products on the market – and makes them the equivalent of Class C1 drugs, and therefore makes any product containing them illegal to manufacture, import, export, sell or supply.

“And if they come back with any new unproven products, we will ban them too. That is why Matt Bowden is gone.”