Dunne: synthetic cannabis clamps will be 'first item of business'

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne has confirmed in Parliament that “stronger additional amendments” to drug legislation to deal with synthetic cannabinoids are just weeks away and will be Parliament’s “first item of business” in its next session.

He said the changes will clamp down on synthetic cannabis until the onus of proof can be changed and the industry made to prove its products are safe.

Speaking last night at the second reading of the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill, Mr Dunne said the changes would effectively be an interim step before the Government can legislate to reverse the onus of proof so the synthetic cannabis industry has to prove its products are safe before they can be sold.

Mr Dunne said the Government backed the Law Commission proposal and is now working “to put in place such a regime”, he said.

“I have been working on stronger additional amendments … that will be introduced by way of supplementary order paper before the committee stage,” he said.

Mr Dunne said the industry had shown itself to be consistently irresponsible with the health of young New Zealanders “simply to make a fast buck”, and the Government was going to “comprehensively and once and for all fix this situation”.