Western Bay of Plenty Council will meet to consider adopting its draft Psychoactive Substances Policy this Thursday, despite the Government's decision to ban legal highs.

The Western Bay council planned to use its policy to limit the district's legal high retailers' locations and hours before the government's u-turn on the issue.

Protestors outside Special T Discounters on the corner of Cameron Road and 16th Ave earlier this month. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne announced on April 29 the Government would remove legal highs from shelves of licenced premises within two weeks.

Parliament will now go into urgency today to pass the law banning 36 legal high drugs, and animal testing on those products.

Each brand of synthetic high will undergo individual testing and remain off the market until proven to be 'low risk”.

WBOPDC senior policy analyst Liz Davies told SunLive the adoption of council's policy remains on Thursday's Policy and Planning Committee meeting agenda.

Whether initial intentions to adopt the policy will take place is unknown, says Liz.

'Ultimately, it is up to councillors to choose to adopt the policy or not, and given they've gone through the public consultation work for it – and there is still a process to be worked through to check these psychoactive substances for use – it may be of use to the council in future.”

Recommendation options on the agenda include adopting the policy, or adopting it with unspecified amendments, to be decided by councillors at the meeting.

Under the policy, rules prohibit stores from being within 50 metres of parks and reserves – and within 750 metres of another retailer.

If it goes ahead, it will effectively see only one retailer in the CBD of each of the Katikati and Te Puke townships able to operate.

The policy also prohibits legal high retailers from operating within a 100-metre radius of medical and education facilities and public libraries.

These measures received backing from many community groups submitting on its formation, although many wanted a total ban.

Asked if the council responds to such Government u-turns in meeting agendas, Liz says the Government's ban will be discussed on Thursday, as 'it was certainly unexpected”.

'After the report is put to council they have the opportunity to adopt it or not, and discuss it – ultimately it will be up to them.”

Liz says an outcome of the legal highs ban still needs to unfold, and once the government works out testing rules for substances, councils will need processes to sort through how they may be permitted to be sold – if they will be at all.

'[For this reason] it is still good have a policy in place.”

Asked how much time the council spent on creating its draft Psychoactive Substances Policy, Liz says time was spent consulting the public and stakeholders and analysing information to form the policy.

'So there has been some staff time spent on it – but no external resources.”

Before the Government's announced legal high ban, Tauranga City Council had not publicly stated it intended to begin forming a policy for psychoactive substances.

However, Mayor Stuart Crosby called it 'a pleasant surprise”.