Whanganui District Council is reviewing this policy and is considering some minor changes to include the Council’s current strategic framework and to update the definition of Residential Area to match the District Plan.
The Psychoactive Substances Act 2013 came into force 18 July 2013 and created a regulated market for the legal sale of approved recreational psychoactive products by licensed sellers.
Submissions closed on Friday, 9 October 2020. Following this public consultation, the Council adopted the policy(PDF, 1MB) on Thursday, 22 October 2020.
The Psychoactive Substances Regulatory Authority, operating under the guidance of the Ministry of Health, is responsible for evaluating psychoactive products to decide if they meet national safety standards and should be approved for sale by licensed premises within New Zealand.
Under the Act, Whanganui District Council may develop and adopt a policy relating to the sale of approved products within its district and to restrict the geographical location of premises selling approved products within the Whanganui District.
In 2014, the Council adopted its Psychoactive Substances - Local Approved Products Policy 2014 and is required to review its policy within five years of the date on which it was made.
Council has reviewed the policy and is proposing to retain the existing policy with changes to the drafting to improve its clarity and usability.
The proposed changes to the drafting of the policy include:
- redrafting the policy to include Council’s current strategic framework; and
- updating the definition of Residential Area to match the District Plan.
Since the Psychoactive Substances Act 2013 was passed, no psychoactive products have been approved for sale in New Zealand. Accordingly, no applications to sell such products have been made in Whanganui.