20 avoidable deaths

The Herald reports:

Police believe around 20 people may have died from synthetic drugs.

Police and the Chief Coroner have today reinforced their previous warning to communities about the dangerous consequences of using synthetic drugs.

It comes following the recent deaths of two men aged 22 and 37, and a 26-year-old woman, all from West Auckland who died in separate incidents and where the Coroner is investigating whether synthetic drugs were a possible cause of death.

Police say it is a nationwide problem and are also looking at the recent death of a 21-year-old Feilding man where synthetic drugs may have been involved.

These are basically preventable deaths. People are accessing synthetic cannabis and other drugs because actual cannabis is illegal.

The death toll from cannabis is zero and the death toll from synthetic drugs is 20 dead in just a few weeks. It’s appalling and whomever is Government after the election needs to change our laws.