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Synthetic cannabis took my brother’s life

Mourning her sudden loss, a sister speaks out about how legal highs caused the death of her brother.

Aucklander Darryn Wright was all alone when he died on the dirty pavement of a downtown street after smoking synthetic cannabis.

The 51-year-old’s tragic passing is just one of at least 20 deaths linked to the drug in New Zealand this year.

Darryn’s sister Vivienne Allen tells Woman’s Day she is distraught after trying but failing to get help for her “baby brother”, whose life was turned upside down after he lost custody of his daughters five years ago.

“I’m not saying Darryn was the best person out there,” admits Vivienne, 57, “but he lost his children and ever since then, he went off the rails.”

Things got even worse for Darryn – who worked for Work and Income in Papakura for nearly a decade – when he was the victim of a home invasion in 2013. His personal life unravelled, and he began drinking heavily and smoking whatever he could get his hands on, including synthetic cannabis.

“If it was out there and available for people to take, he’d have taken it, not knowing it was laced with anything,” tells Vivienne. “The home invasion forced him onto the street because he was too afraid to stay in his home by himself. He was trying to numb his brain.”

Early last year, Darryn spent four days on life support following a serious assault. Vivienne moved him into her home and spent the next 14 months caring for him. However, in March, he moved into a boarding house that has made headlines for rat infestations and methamphetamine dealing.

In another sad twist to Darryn’s life, Vivienne says her brother had only recently started a carving course and was looking at doing a class in self-improvement.

“He was so proud of himself. He came to see me and told me he passed his first exam. He had a smile from ear to ear – it was so good to see.”

It was to be the last time Vivienne saw her beloved sibling, who she was trying to have admitted into rehab.

She tells, “He was heading in the right direction, then a week later, we got the call that he was dead. He just felt so belittled and humiliated for such a long time, he couldn’t handle it. I watched his struggle. It was awful.”

Vivienne advises anyone who has family members who smoke synthetic cannabis to “take them under your wing” and “get them help”.

She says, “I’m still not over Darryn’s death. He was my baby brother. Whoever out there is selling this stuff, they know they are killing people and they don’t care.”

Thousands of instances of zombie-like behaviour brought on by synthetic cannabis have been reported internationally, while here in Aotearoa, several videos

of people unable to stand or speak after smoking the illicit substance have gone viral.

Linked to the death of at least 20 Kiwis, the drug – also known as “kronik”, “spice” or “synnies” – is said to be up to 30 times stronger than what caused a so-called “zombie outbreak” in New York.

Children as young as eight years old are smoking synthetic cannabis, according to employees of South Auckland community health organisation Raukura Hauora O Tainui, and others not much older are selling it.

Auckland police have reported people aged 13 to 64 using the psychoactive drug. The city’s ambulance officers responded to a shocking 46 incidents involving synthetic cannabis over just two days in July, says St John Medical Director Tony Smith.

“Patients under the influence of this drug are exhibiting grossly disturbed behaviour and suffering seizures,” he tells. “Most concerning is that the drug appears to be linked to stopping the beating of some people’s hearts.

“We have seen seven sudden and unexpected deaths. In some instances, their hearts have just stopped from a massive cardiac arrest.”

Sold in branded packets as a “legal high” in NZ up until the Psychoactive Substances Amendment Act was introduced in 2014, today’s synthetics are now usually purchased in unlabelled plastic sachets of one or two grams.

Sold for between $10 and $30, the “baggies” contain a plant material sprayed with a synthetic-cannabinoid chemical that has been dissolved in a solvent – usually acetone or nail-polish remover.

“The plant material is quite commonly a herbal product called damiana,” explains forensic scientist Robyn Somerville of Environmental Science and Research (ESR), which is analysing samples of the drug as well as body tissue from suspected victims.

“It’s a commercially available herbal product, which you can buy to make tea and has no psychoactive affect.

“The compounds causing the issues and giving the person the high are the synthetic cannabinoids, which are manufactured overseas and imported into New Zealand as a white powder.”

Because there’s no quality control – “It’s not like something you buy from the chemist,” explains Robyn – there are big variations in the amount of psychoactive material sprayed onto the plant material.

ESR’s Kevan Walsh warns, “There are huge risks with smoking this stuff. We’re seeing dramatic effects. Some of the new stuff is incredibly potent. There are a lot of risk factors you’re being exposed to and it’s that unknown that’s the big danger.”

What is synthetic cannabis?

Synthetic cannabis is a smokable plant material that has been sprayed with a chemical known as synthetic cannabinoid. The plant material does not normally contain any tobacco or cannabis, but the added chemicals interact with the same cell receptors in the brain as THC, the active ingredient in natural cannabis.

The chemicals used vary considerably, meaning the effects of the drug are highly unpredictable and can be extreme, including increased heart rates, psychosis, kidney failure, seizures and strokes.

***If someone you know is using synthetic cannabis, please call the Alcohol Drug Helpline on 0800 787 797.

You can also free-text 8681 or visit alcoholdrughelp.org.nz.***

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