New Zealand isn’t a bad place to call home, and most nights the news is filled with stories that wouldn’t come close to landing a spot on our 7PM bulletins.

I once saw a story about a woman who lost her phone on the beach and had it returned lead the news – no lies.

The country does have one major problem that seems to be spiralling out of control, though, and that’s the underground market for synthetic drugs.

Before you get stuck in, here’s the write-up on VICE:

Up until 2014, the sale of synthetic cannabis in New Zealand was considered a global test case for legalised drugs. With the introduction of tighter controls the synthetics market has gone underground, and the harm to the community has spiralled. At least 25 people are believed to have died from synthetic drug use in 2017.

VICE follows animal lover and former addict Tammara, 20, as she grapples with her recovery from the drug that has dominated her life for six years. We also meet ex-user Trey whose best friend died after smoking synthetics aged just 17. Talking to family members, a former dealer, police, customs officers and an emergency medicine doctor/toxicologist, VICE investigates how and why this drug has become responsible for the deaths of New Zealanders in unprecedented numbers, revealing the raw reality of this under-reported crisis.

You should be warned that there is plenty of bad language to follow:

It’s not yet on the scale of the tik problem faced by the Western Cape, but 25 deaths in a year or so speaks to a serious problem.

[source:vice]