Pubdate: Tue, 29 Apr 2014
Source: Manawatu Standard (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2014 Manawatu Evening Standard
Contact:  http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1057
Author: Kelsey Fletcher

LEGAL HIGH USERS 'GOING TO GO NUTS'

A recovering Palmerston North legal high user has condemned the 
Government's move to ban synthetic drugs, saying addicts will not be 
able to handle withdrawal symptoms without more support.

"They're going to go nuts," said Anthony, who spoke on the condition 
only his first name was published.

The 40-year-old, who decided to quit using legal highs because of the 
impact on his family, believed more needed to be done to support 
addicts when legal highs are pulled from shelves next month because 
the products are "more addictive than what people believe".

On Sunday, Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne announced the 
Government would introduce legislation early next month that would 
remove all synthetic drugs from shelves until they could be proven to 
be low risk.

Under the Psychoactive Substances Act, introduced last July, licensed 
retailers can sell drugs deemed to pose a low risk of harm. Most were 
banned until they could prove they were low risk, but about 40 
products thought to be low risk were given interim licences for sale.

Anthony's withdrawal symptoms included his tongue "leaching brown 
stuff", a "snap short temper", thoughts that his skin was green and 
that he had vision problems, insomnia and loss of appetite. But by 
day four he felt motivated to spend time with his children again and 
felt "that the stuff was getting out of my body".

"Looking back I want to slap myself for my attitude towards my 
children [during withdrawals]," he said. "That's why I'm so afraid of 
what all the other people will do to their children."

Anthony said there would be a spike in family violence when everyone 
was cut off - "that's my main concern, because they're not going to 
be able to get [the products]".

"They're going to get withdrawals but they're not going to handle it 
like I did because I wanted to quit. People who don't want to quit 
[are] not going to handle this, they're going to go nuts."

He also believed the underground market for both synthetic products 
and marijuana would increase.

Anthony began using synthetic highs about a year ago when they became 
more available and were deemed legal. He was addicted within three or 
four days. "It sort of snuck up on you, you didn't notice. A couple 
of friends came over and said they didn't have any issues, yet they 
were sitting on my floor at 1am and had just spent $30 to travel to 
get a $15 bag.

"Then I realised I did have a problem, it was those friends who 
highlighted it and made me look at myself, and I realised I had a 
very serious issue."

He said the impact legal highs had on his friends was "life-changing" 
and caused people to put drugs ahead of food and their children. 
"People are suffering for it, most users are in denial. I know 
they've got issues, but they swear they don't - everyone I know is 
being impacted. It's horrendously sad that I'm here trying to let 
people know the dangers."
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