File photo: Getty ImagesThe drug that killed more than 100,000 Americans last year is now thought to be behind 12 overdoses in Wairarapa. However, yesterday the drug information website High Alert said 12 people had been hospitalised due to suspected fentanyl overdoses over the weekend, all in the Wairarapa region. The Needle Exchange Programme said its Masterton branch would hold a pop-up drug checking clinic on Thursday after the spate of overdoses. Drug Foundation executive director Sarah Helm said these overdoses could have been avoided if New Zealand's 1975 drug laws had been updated. "We need to update our drug laws so we can use a health-based approach."

Source: Otago Daily Times June 27, 2022 19:45 UTC