Police and civilian receive bravery awards for their - New Zealand ...

New Zealand Police AssociationLegalisation of cannabisWhen the professor was asked aboutthe serious side-effects of the JWH compoundsthat bore his name and howwidespread they were becoming, he saidhe felt the answer was simple in stemmingtheir tide: “Legalise cannabis,” he said.“It’s a whole other argument of course butthe USA made marijuana illegal in 1936and really it hasn’t done much good at all– it’s still readily available – but these aremuch more dangerous compounds thancannabis,” he added.The Government has responded to publicconcerns by testing 43 products marketedas ‘legal highs’ and two have beenwithdrawn from sale after being foundto contain the anti-anxiety medicationphenazepam. Phenazepam is also used forthe treatment of neurological disorderssuch as epilepsy as well as insomnia andalcohol withdrawal.The Government is moving to place anR18 restriction on the sale of some ‘legalhigh’ products.No regulatory oversightThe problem with the so-called ‘legal highs’is that, as the Law Commission, pointedout – there is no regulatory oversightabout their release. As quickly as partypills containing BZP (Benzylpiperazine)were made illegal, manufacturers pushedthe boundaries again with replacements,including Kronic, without them havingto go through pre-release testing of anykind. The so-called self-regulation of themanufacturers involved has proved to bevirtually non-existent, as is evidenced bythe fact that subsequent clinical analysishas found prescription drugs in theirmake-up.Effectively, the genie is out of the bottleunder current legislation.The marketplace has become the testingground for side-effects and, unwittinglypeople have become the guinea pigs forproducts which could contain lethalconcoctions of compounds, the long-termeffects of which are, as Dr Huffman pointsout, as yet largely unknown.The fact remains that, under currentlegislation, as quickly as one productis banned a new one appears on themarket. There are hundreds of chemicalcompounds that can quickly replaceproducts like Kronic.New products readyIn fact, Lightyears Ahead Ltd, the NewZealand company that manufacturesKronic among other so-called ‘legalhighs’, has declared as much on itswebsite. “Here at Lightyears we striveto always be on the forefront of productdevelopment and research. We have anew legal formulation launching soon,and encourage you to check the websitefor updates”, the site’s blurb declares.Detective Inspector Stuart Mills of theNational Drug Intelligence Bureau saidthat it is almost certain that this newformulation would not contain anysoon-to-be restricted naphthoylindolederivatives, but could still be sold as‘Kronic’ and be made readily availablewithout restriction.Mr Mills said that restrictions are beingignored nationwide: “These productshave been as easy to buy as chewing gum.Despite the Government’s best intentions,the fact remains that it is almost certainthat these restrictions will have nomajor long-term impacts on the use andavailability of synthetic cannabinoidproducts in New Zealand.”Fast-evolving marketAs Detective Inspector Mills, who isalso a Vice-President of the NZ PoliceAssociation, told Police News: “It isdifficult, if not impossible, for legislatorsto keep up with the fast-evolving syntheticcannabinoids’ market, as an overarchingdefinition for ‘synthetic cannabinoids’ isnot possible under the current legislation.This is an issue faced by most countriesthat do not use generic definitions tocontrol wider drug categories.”The problem was highlighted recentlyin Western Australia when the WesternAustralian Government issued an amendmentto the state’s Poisons Act 1964, tocontrol seven synthetic cannabinoids(including JWH-018 and JWH-073).Three days after the amendment waspassed, Kronic Australia (operating underthe company name BillyBong Pty Ltd)released a newly-formulated blend in aproduct called Aussie Gold, which doesnot contain any of the seven newly-listedsynthetic cannabinoids. They claim thatthis is a very strong product, providing asimilar experience to the strongest existingblend of Kronic, called Pineapple Express– the same product recently recalled inNew Zealand.Accordingly, the Police Association supportsany moves that would make itcompulsory for manufacturers andimporters of such ‘legal highs’ to havethem fully tested to make sure they are safebefore they are released onto the market.Synthetic DNA kit making its mark on school burglariesBy Deb Stringer, Communications AssistantAn anti-burglary kit, which uses syntheticDNA to uniquely mark a school’svaluables, is making a significant dent onburglaries at school properties.The kit is the brainchild of businessSelectaDNA NZ Limited who havepartnered with the NZ Police and othercommunity and corporate businessesunder NZ Police’s Operation SerialNumber Action Partnership (SNAP).Operation SNAP is a nationwide Policedrivencommunity partnership aimed atreducing property offending. The SaferSchools Programme, which focuses oncurbing burglary in schools, is one part ofthe operation.Roll-outPolice have been so pleased with thesuccess of the Safer Schools Programme,plans to roll it out nationwide are nowbeing progressed with 70 North Shoreschools next in line to receive the antiburglarykit this month.The kit works by encoding valuableschool property with a water-basedultraviolet (UV) tracer solution, whichholds a specific batch number unique tothe school.Once on, the solution is near impossiblefor burglars to rub off without damagingthe item.Thanks to the solution’s unique code,police are then able to identify and provean offender is in possession of stolenproperty.Additional anti-burglary kit signage,which can be placed strategically aroundthe school grounds, is also provided withthe kit and Police say this has acted as agreat deterrent to would-be thieves.Working togetherThe instigator of Operation SNAP, PoliceAssistant Commissioner for Auckland,Superintendent Allan Boreham, said theproject provided a great opportunity forcorporates and communities to worktogether to prevent property offending,promote community safety and helpensure fewer victims.“The impact on a school communityfollowing burglary is not just abouthaving to replace equipment, lessons aredisrupted, funds often have to be divertedto cover the cost and it’s not a niceexperience for the kids to witness brokenwindows and other damage,” he said.To prevent this happening, Mr Borehamsaid there was a wide range of precautionspeople could take to protect themselvesand their property.These include using forensic propertymarking products or engraving, orlogging on to the SNAP website andloading all your property details free ofcharge, so in the event of loss or theft youcan quickly provide details to Police. Forfurther details visit: www.snap.org.nzAugust 2011195