BIG RUSH EXPECTED AS KRONIC FACES BAN

A Tauranga stockist of legal highs expects users to stockpile the
products before they are banned for good.

Kronic and other synthetic cannabis substances will be pulled from New
Zealand shelves within weeks, as Parliament rushes through urgent
legislation to classify 42 synthetic cannabis products as "temporary
controlled drugs" to be withdrawn from sale.

Laeeq Ahmad of Lenz Superette on Cameron Rd expects to see users of
the product buying up large while they can.

"It depends on how much money they have. From what I [understand], it
will be legal to keep it.

"I'm expecting people to buy it and keep it [for future
use]."

And if he's left with excess product when the ban kicks in, Mr Ahmad
does not expect to be out of pocket - he will return any unsold
product to the manufacturer as he has not yet paid for it.

At Downtown Foodmarket in Mount Maunganui, Saurin Gandhi had not yet
heard about the legislation to ban legal highs. But he had intended to
stop selling the products regardless.

"I want to finish [selling it], I don't want to go through any
problems."

Mr Gandhi expected the manufacturers to give him a refund on any
unsold products if they were banned.

A spokesman at Mid Town Mini-Mart on Devonport Rd said he was not
aware of the proposed ban and had not so far noticed a difference in
sales.

At the Cameronian Dairy on Cameron Rd, owner Kay Singh said the shop
had already stopped selling legal highs so the ban did not affect the
business.

"We decided not to sell it as it was causing enough
problems."

Legal-high manufacturers claim the move to ban their products is
short-sighted and will be futile.

Zaid Musa, of manufacturer Enjoi Products, said that although products
could be banned quickly they could be on the market for at least a
month before being detected and pulled.

Matt Bowden, who imports the chemicals used to make Kronic, would not
comment directly on what the industry might do in response to the ban.

"But you are aware as I am of ... the futility of banning
drugs."

But Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne said if products were
reformulated he would simply ban them again.