Hamilton Dairies Fail Synthetic Cannabinoid Compliance Tests

Media Release

Date: 26 June 2013

Hamilton Dairies Fail Synthetic Cannabinoid Compliance Tests

Five Hamilton dairy owners and employees are facing enforcement action after selling synthetic cannabinoid and tobacco products today to a person under 18 years of age. 

Waikato District Health Board’s public health staff from Population Health visited nine retail premises in Hamilton today during a controlled purchase operation, which was part of Operation Dairy, a combined Police and Population Health initiative to curb the use of synthetic cannabinoid products.

Population Health identified the premises last month, during education visits under Operation Dairy, as continuing to sell synthetic cannabinoid products despite pressure from the community.  Population Health advisor Nick Young said staff at only four of the premises visited today followed correct procedure and refused to sell to the 17-year-old volunteer briefed to give their age correctly when asked. 

Mr Young will contact those retailers whose staff complied with the legislation to advise them of their employees’ performance.

However, five dairy employees and owners sold synthetic cannabinoid products, and in one case cigarettes, to the volunteer and reports on these cases will now go to the Ministry of Health in Wellington.

The likely result for the sellers can range from a warning through to a District Court prosecution. 

Mr Young said he was disappointed at the level of non-compliance especially since Population Health carried out the education visits within the last month.

He said it might be possible that retailers, conscious of the impending law change limiting synthetic cannabinoid sales, are trying to unload stock without taking care to comply with the current age restriction.

Waikato DHB will conduct further operations of this nature on an ongoing basis and employers and their staff need to ensure they are fully familiar with their obligations under the Smoke-free Environments Act.

ENDS

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