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SCOOTERS RACING AGAINST THE CLOCK

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IN TODAY’S GUARDIAN

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Friday, May 10, 2013

FIRST PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 27, 1879

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K2 puts locals in hospital By Sam Morton Ashburton residents have been admitted to Christchurch Hospital after smoking K2. The shocking revelation, which saw at least two individual Ashburton cases unfold at the Christchurch Emergency Department at the weekend, demonstrates exactly why the Government has banned the harmful chemicals found in K2. The Temporary Class Drug

Notice, which came into force yesterday, makes it illegal to import, manufacture, sell or supply BB-22 and 5F-AKB48 – prominently found in K2. However, that did little to deter one local business from selling it – ignoring the new law completely and openly offering the synthetic cannabis-type substance – along with other legal highs. In a Guardian sting operation yesterday, the Bel Air Dairy on East Street was the only premises to offer the harmful synthetic

cannabis-type substance – along with other legal highs. Overnight Wednesday, a law banning a prominent chemical used in K2 came into instant effect, but that clearly did little to deter the local business from selling it. Although the Bel Air Dairy owner told the mystery shopper he had run out of stock yesterday, he made it clear that he would be restocking the new product next week and encouraged the customer to return.

In the meantime, he offered the mystery shopper other legal high products which he described as “fine” and “okay to use”. Last month, during another undercover sting, Coin Save merchandise store, also on East Street, had the products and told the reporter they were out of stock, but would restock. Yesterday, the Guardian’s mystery shopper was told the store no longer sold the artificial drug and would unlikely to do so again. It was not known if the store

sold other legal highs. Despite the new law forcing shops to clear K2 from their shelves, synthetic cannabis suppliers have been quick to readjust their product, removing the banned product and replacing it with legal ingredients. It is understood the new products may hit the shelves as early as Monday. Health authorities and police are scathing, blaming the products for psychosis effects and other mental harm seen around

the country. Last weekend alone, two Ashburton cases related to consuming K2 were dealt with in the Christchurch Emergency Department, with a Canterbury District Health Board spokeswoman pointing out those cases were not the first from Mid Canterbury. However, tracking down detailed statistics would be time consuming and likely to take a while. Senior Sergeant Grant Russell, of Ashburton, said police were aware of two stores in Ashburton

that stocked the product and said police would likely “look into it” next week. “It wouldn’t be something we do this week, but we would certainly look into it,” Mr Russell said. Meanwhile, Associate Minister of Health Peter Dunne is aiming to pass yet another law to force suppliers to prove their products are not harmful, before they hit the shelves in a bid to remove the products altogether. The law is unlikely to be passed until August.

ACC claims from Bond, Murray get their gongs scooter accidents spike By Myles Hume A resurgence in the popularity of push scooters has led to a dramatic 1740 per cent rise in the number of Mid Canterbury children seriously injured. Principals blame the huge spike on the number of children riding push scooters in Mid Canterbury, but child safety authorities are calling for schools and parents to enforce safety rules. Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) statistics obtained by the Guardian show there were 87 claims lodged in the Ashburton District last year, more than 17 times the number in 2008, which was just six. Nationally, the claims have leapt from 1047 in 2008, to 7553 last year, with more than 6000 of those claimants last year under the age of 14. Ashburton District Council road safety co-ordinator Rachael Boyd said the number of injuries could be lowered if children wore helmets and shoes while riding scooters. She said more than half of New Zealand children in urban primary schools scootered to school, and Ashburton’s pupils were no different. “While it is not a legal requirement to wear helmets, they should be worn at all times,” she said. “For young children many learn to ride a scooter before they can ride a bike. “We don’t want children to stop riding scooters; we just want them to be safe when they do.” Mrs Boyd said. Longbeach School principal Neil Simons said the figures went hand-in-hand with an influx two years ago in Mid Canterbury, when many youngsters started bringing their scooters to school. “I think also we have seen a shift in the extreme sports becoming even more extreme, on Nitrocircus or the X Games you now see them doing double back flips on scooters, maybe kids are watching them and trying more extreme things,” Mr Simons said. Tinwald School principal Peter Livingstone said he had seen “a few bumps and bruises” when letting the pupils ride their scooters for two days a week at school,

CLAIMS FOR SCOOTER INJURIES District Ashburton Timaru Selwyn National

2008 6 7 4 1047

2009 5 6 5 1393

Rachael Boyd but there had been no serious injuries. The school had a number of

2010 15 21 12 2220

2011 50 46 35 4305

2012 Total 87 163 65 145 37 93 7553 16,518

rules in place to ensure safety. “In terms of helmets, our children don’t have them and we have no recorded head injuries, if they are called for that’s not a problem,” Mr Livingstone said. The Ashburton District recorded more claims than surrounding districts. The Timaru District peaked last year with 65 ACC claims while the Selwyn District saw only 37. SafeKids director Ann Weaver said they were looking to entice schools to create policies that meant children had to wear helmets and other safety equipment to school. She hoped “it would help reduce” the 158 hospitalisations and eight deaths related to riding scooters in New Zealand.

Hamish Bond and Eric Murray after they were presented the Member of New Zealand Order of Merit. By Jonathan Leask and APNZ

Photo Myles Hume 080213-MH-028

The number of Accident Compensation Corporation claims for push scooter related injuries has skyrocketed in Mid Canterbury during the past four years.

Chertsey’s Hamish Bond was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to rowing on Wednesday. Together with rowing partner Eric Murray, Bond won gold in the men’s coxless pair at the London Olympics, setting new Olympic and world records at the same time. They make a formidable team and they are so inseparable that they added another accolade together, standing side-by-side in their Olympic blazers as they were made Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit for their services to rowing. “The nature of our sport and our event is that we are, I guess, intrinsically linked, probably for perpetuity,” Bond said. “I guess it’s Bond and Murray or Murray and Bond, whatever way you want to put it around.

“And I’m comfortable with that. “Each of us couldn’t have done it without the other and each of us is an important cog. So I’m comfortable with being part of a team, a small one at that but it’s still a team.” Bond said he hadn’t had a lot of time to comprehend the significance of the honour. “I’ve been busy,” the Olympic gold medallist said, training right up until a few hours before [the] ceremony with the goal of repeating the success he’s already had. “You don’t get sick of [awards],” Bond said. “I personally didn’t start out rowing to receive awards or anything like that. We just wanted to see how far we could go in the sport. “[The] award is probably recognition of the impact sport has on the community and the public at large and that’s something that we’ve noticed since coming

Photo Dean Purcell

Hamish Bond and Eric Murray celebrate after winning the men’s coxless pair at the London Olympics. back from London. “We do have the power to inspire, I guess, and going to schools and seeing the reaction of kids has sort of brought that home.” The accolades continue to add up and Bond says he hopes they

will keep coming. “It’s pretty obvious what the goal is ... to carry on winning. “We’ve achieved really everything as far as accolades in our sport and our event but I guess the challenge at this stage is to do it all again.”

Today’s weather

HIGH LOW

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