Synthetic cannabis deaths

Written By: - Date published: 4:29 pm, July 21st, 2017 - 35 comments
Categories: drugs, health - Tags: ,

In news today –

Seven deaths in Kiwi synthetic cannabis epidemic this month

Police, Coroner investigating multiple synthetic cannabis deaths: ‘further people are going to die’

There are still stockpiled supplies of synthetic cannabis from before it was made illegal. These stockpiles are obviously dangerous. We should consider decriminalising real cannabis to provide a safer alternative. Yes the abuse of cannabis can cause problems – same as alcohol. But the risks associated with synthetic cannabis are obviously much higher.

35 comments on “Synthetic cannabis deaths ”

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  1. Ad 1
    21 July 2017 at 4:31 pm

    After the election. Otherwise it’s a silly distraction.

    • adam 1.1
      21 July 2017 at 4:55 pm

      So much for the people who need it for medical purposes. Oh wait disabled don’t count, my mistake.

      • Ad 1.1.1
        21 July 2017 at 5:30 pm

        Oh Jesus if you really want the axis of the election to turn on dope use, go right ahead. Knock yourself out. Literally.

        Just hold still and inhale.

        • adam 1.1.1.1
          21 July 2017 at 5:56 pm

          Showing how much you know about the issue, and indeed care for people with disabilities. You think people who want to use it for medical reasons want to smoke it? Odd, just really odd.

        • Tuppence Shrewsbury 1.1.1.2
          22 July 2017 at 2:54 pm

          Why not? Might inject some excitement. Can’t believe it hasn’t been seen as a vote winner already.

          Imagine the nats losing as they opposed legalisation?

    • Draco T Bastard 1.2
      21 July 2017 at 5:06 pm

      People dying due to the incompetence of the government is a distraction from the election of a new government?

      • marty mars 1.2.1
        21 July 2017 at 5:14 pm

        Probably good we can’t ask the people who will die what they think about their sacrifice so that they don’t distract from the election. If it was me I’d be a bit pissed off – what about you ad? How would you feel about that.

      • CLEANGREEN 1.2.2
        21 July 2017 at 8:00 pm

        100% Draco T Bastard.

    • Graeme 1.3
      21 July 2017 at 8:13 pm

      Irony of this is that nats could roll out a legalisation policy, with an economic justification, and pull it off with hardly a whimper. They’ve probably got it all ready to go in the <40% folder, which would account for all the preparatory pro cannabis publicity we've had over the last few months.

      Labour try it and they'll go full refer madness.

  2. Cinny 2
    21 July 2017 at 4:50 pm

    Thanks for creating a thread on this, I’m fuming that people are dying from plastic pot.

    No one has ever died from cannabis.

    If people can grow a couple of plants of their own, the gangs would not be getting rich. Arseholes would not be making money from fatal plastic pot.

    Crikey there would be no plastic pot if people could grow/obtain their own real natural cannabis.

    This is a direct result of the decisions and lack of action from the national government.

    • Draco T Bastard 2.1
      21 July 2017 at 5:05 pm

      This is super concerning.. people are dying from taking plastic pot

      Meanwhile someone is profiting from what appears to be fatal plastic pot

      Considering that this serious side effect has been known for some time we should be looking at manslaughter charges for those responsible for having this substance still on the market.

      • Cinny 2.1.1
        21 July 2017 at 5:22 pm

        I think it is only on the black market now. Ali Mau has/is having a very informative discussion about the whole situation on her talkback show atm

      • CLEANGREEN 2.1.2
        21 July 2017 at 8:03 pm

        Yes Draco its tantamount to murder and there are the bloody police?????

        This evil Government is incompetent and must go.

        Where are the opposition parties on this?????

    • Molly 2.2
      21 July 2017 at 5:45 pm

      I also understand that the synthetic cannabis is more addictive, and more likely to lead to psychosis. Does anyone else know of this or whether there is a good source to go to for this?

      I remember the failed clinical trial last year which resulted in serious injury for the participants. Attempting to create a synthetic product that duplicated the pain benefits of cannabis (which would provide a patented product), when access still remains limited to the natural product.

      Anyone who has been involved with friends, loved ones or patients with unremitting pain that is unable to be relieved by our current pharmacopia, should be incensed that this option still remains an illegal one in NZ.

  3. weka 3
    21 July 2017 at 5:51 pm

    Peter fucking Dunne.

    • Molly 3.1
      21 July 2017 at 6:08 pm

      Strange. That’s the middle name I use for him too when talking to others about synthetic cannabis.

      • weka 3.1.1
        21 July 2017 at 6:34 pm

        rofl. I think from now on any problems with cannabis in NZ could be signed off PFD.

    • CLEANGREEN 3.2
      21 July 2017 at 8:10 pm

      Peter Dunne is another incompetent MP as people are out there dying!!!!!

      A police spokesman came on at news time warning if you see anyone in trouble trying to breathe or function call for an ambulance straight away.

      Hell why don’t they just close down any use and use of these toxic poisons now???????

    • gsays 3.3
      21 July 2017 at 8:37 pm

      Amen weka.
      For a while ago (14 months) here in palmy, the synthetic pot was a far greater concern in ED than p, alcohol.
      The psychosis, unhingedness of normally decent folk was disturbing.

      All the time the electric puha is pilloried, wrongly used to bash benes and the young.
      Hypocritical pricks.

      Meanwhile at the top of the post we have a ssuggestion of not now.
      Ok for a few more young maori to be arrested, charged and have their lives burdened because of the status of pot in law.

    • Cinny 3.4
      21 July 2017 at 9:55 pm

      And his fucking son, who profited from the crap, happy as to legally represent plastic pot manufacturers, happy to help them find loopholes, happy to cash in on it all.

      Flashback from 2014

      Fairfax Media confirmed a few weeks ago that Dunne’s son James, a lawyer at Chen Palmer, was a lawyer and lobbyist on behalf of the synthetic cannabis industry.

      Key confirmed today the relationship had been checked with the Cabinet Office, which saw no issue.

      James Dunne’s online profile describes him as a lawyer with “inside knowledge of how Parliament works”, specialising in the Psychoactive Substances Regulatory Authority, which oversees the regulating of legal highs.

      http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9985816/Dunne-legal-high-conflict-examined

    • JustPassingThrough 3.5
      22 July 2017 at 9:09 am

      Let me ask you question. Do you think animal testing should be allowed?

      I’m asking this because it really is the heart of the matter.

      When the Psychoactive Substances Act was passed it was intended to protect people from such synthetic drugs as the latest round of synthetic cannabis but allow people to manufacture psychoactive drugs so long as they were tested and proved to be “safe”. Except it didn’t turn out that way because the ban on animal testing meant it was impossible to get a substance tested and approved. A case of putting harm to animals before harm to humans.

      Without the ban by now instead of going to a gang to purchase synthetic cannabis laced with god-knows-what you could instead choose to buy synthetic cannabis from say a “head” shop, packaged and clearly labelled and knowing that it had been tested and approved to be “safe” (or least you knew you weren’t risking dying).

      I’m not saying synthetic cannabis is good. But under a working Psychoactive Substances Act users would have the choice to buy the “least of the worst” when it came to synthetic cannabis and certainly stuff that could kill you wouldn’t get past approval.

      Also Peter Dunne intended that class C drugs be put under the Psychoactive Substances Act. This would have meant that not only would you have been able to purchase approved synthetic cannabis from a head shop but you would be able to purchase real cannabis, again clearly labelled with the amount of active “ingredient” clearly labelled etc.

      Instead we have the situation we have now and all because of one stupid clause.

      Thank you Peter Dune you incompetent twerp.

  4. ianmac 4
    21 July 2017 at 7:58 pm

    How many people have died in the last 10 years using cannabis?

    • CLEANGREEN 4.1
      21 July 2017 at 8:15 pm

      Dunno Ianmac

      But the Police advisory on the news said three have died in just the short time when linked to smoking that stuff.

      Then why aren’t we also protected from anyone smoking this stuff as second hand is just as toxic???

    • gsays 4.2
      21 July 2017 at 8:39 pm

      Ianmac,
      None.
      Ever.
      You can not overdose on cannabis.

      • JustPassingThrough 4.2.1
        22 July 2017 at 9:56 am

        People have gone to ED and far more than what I think a lot of people realise – much more relatively speaking than say alcohol. However this is a direct result of prohibition and users being sold cannabis much stronger than what they were used to.

  5. Psycho Milt 5
    21 July 2017 at 9:01 pm

    Fuck this news gives my arse the ache. The same government officials who made it impossible for wholesalers and retailers who can be held accountable to sell this stuff are now hand-wringing about illegal wholesalers and retailers who can’t be held accountable selling versions of it that kill people. And nobody slaps them one while their mouths are moving – it’s a fucking mystery to me.

  6. Keith 6
    22 July 2017 at 8:26 am

    Its insane to suggest the solution is to substitute one drug with another. Synthetics will not go away because you make cannabis legal. And cannabis is not harmless either and it has killed, just not by poisoning.

    We need to look at why some feel the dire need to anesthetise themselves with something/anything to get through life!

    • JustPassingThrough 6.1
      22 July 2017 at 8:52 am

      You’re referring to about 15% of drug users. The other 85% use for recreational purposes and to socialise. Same reasons as why most people choose to have a drink.

    • JustPassingThrough 6.2
      22 July 2017 at 9:26 am

      And while I’m here I’d like to address another drug myth. How many people use a particular drugs has got nothing to do with how addictive it is. What affects how many people use a drug is ease of availability. That’s why when you decriminalise you see no increase in the number of people using but when you legalise you do.

      So where does the addictive quality of a drug come in? The more addictive a drug is the more regularly addicts of that drug will use it. For example with a drug like methamphetamine addicts will use daily or even more. Whereas for something like MDMA, a related amphetamine but much less addictive, addicts will use around once a week.

      Basically the thing to understand is that addiction is to do with the individual and not the drug. Some people should just stay away from recreational drugs, any recreational drug, period.

    • Cinny 6.3
      22 July 2017 at 11:50 am

      Synthetic pot only ever came about in NZ because cannabis is illegal and someone wanted to profit from loopholes.

      Keith can you please provide a link or evidence to your claim that cannabis alone has killed. Thanks.

      • Keith 6.3.1
        22 July 2017 at 1:10 pm

        Cinny, where’s the evidence it hasn’t?

        Cannabis is a distinct contributor to many vehicle and workplace deaths for starters. And what about the contribution it makes to mental health problems?

        This is not the wonder substance that leads us to the promised land like the bullshit I’ve been reading lately in the corporate media. It is a serious psychoactive drug in its own right. It’s just really convenient to pretend it isn’t!

        • Cinny 6.3.1.1
          22 July 2017 at 3:15 pm

          Obviously regulation would be required, just like alcohol.

          No one should work or drive while impaired, whether it be lack of sleep, prescription medicine, alcohol, cannabis etc. Impairment of any kind results in bad judgement, bad decisions, accidents etc.

          Here’s is evidence that no one has ever died from a cannabis overdose, as you requested…

          “No deaths from overdose of marijuana have been reported,” the DEA wrote in its 2017 report
          https://www.dea.gov/pr/multimedia-library/publications/drug_of_abuse.pdf

          Sad fact.. Roughly 2,200 people die from alcohol poisoning each year in the United States — six per day.

          Here’s a handy dandy table link, showing the different annual causes of death, in the USA, cannabis is down the bottom.. number of deaths from pot = 0
          http://www.drugwarfacts.org/chapter/causes_of_death

          Anyways, what the health professionals here desperately need to know is what chemicals have been sprayed on the plastic pot, so they are able to help people.

          Having watched the video of the person falling over etc on the plastic pot, I can honestly say beyond a shadow of a doubt that cannabis by itself does not cause anyone to behave like that. May no one else die from that toxic plastic pot crap.

  7. Cinny 7
    22 July 2017 at 5:53 pm

    An article from newshub, showing the person out of it on the plastic pot chemicals

    As well this from the same newshub article…

    “There are no reported deaths as a direct result of overdosing on natural cannabis.”

    http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/health/2017/07/why-synthetic-cannabis-is-such-a-killer.html

    • JustPassingThrough 7.1
      22 July 2017 at 9:38 pm

      I wonder how much easier it is to get synthetic cannabis compared to the real stuff. If it’s much easier then the government certainly needs to look at legalisation cannabis. I doubt very much that if given the choice very many people would choose the fake stuff over the real.

      • Cinny 7.1.1
        23 July 2017 at 10:49 am

        Apparently it is much easier to get the fake stuff in the big city.

        100% agree with what you are saying JPT

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