Government policy changes after a surge in synthetic drug deaths are a historic "game-changer", in that they are tough on commercial dealers of illicit drugs but compassionate towards users, Tuari Potiki says.
"It's a positive first step; it's a significant step; it signals that this Government actually cares about people," he said.
Mr Potiki, of Dunedin, chairs the New Zealand Drug Foundation board, is director of the University of Otago's Office of Maori development and addressed a United Nations body on drug policy issues in 2016.
The policy changes included classifying as class A two main synthetic drugs (5F-ADB and AMB-FUBINACA) which had been linked to recent deaths.
This would give police the search and seizure powers needed to crack down on suppliers and manufacturers, and Mr Potiki said that high-level offenders could now face life imprisonment.
Many synthetic drug users were from lower socio-economic groups, including homeless people, and he hailed the changed policy focus to emphasise the importance of drug addicts having access to addiction services.
"We are very, very pleased."
This "well-balanced" approach included appropriately increasing penalties and getting tough on commercial dealers in these drugs, which had caused more than 50 deaths in this country in recent years.
Illicit drug possession remained illegal but the new approach enabled the police to extend their existing discretion to "support the people at the bottom of the chain".
Putting such lower-level users in prison "didn't fix anything - it doesn't work".
