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Alcohol safety group wants booze sachets gone

Author
Jamie Morton, NZME.,
Publish Date
Fri, 3 Jul 2015, 8:17PM
Concerns are being raised about palm-sized alcohol sachets on the market (Photo NZ Herald)
Concerns are being raised about palm-sized alcohol sachets on the market (Photo NZ Herald)

Alcohol safety group wants booze sachets gone

Author
Jamie Morton, NZME.,
Publish Date
Fri, 3 Jul 2015, 8:17PM

UPDATED 5.30pm: An alcohol safety group is backing Auckland councillor Cathy Casey's bid to ban the 25 millilitre alcohol sachets which have been found scattered around Eden Park after big games.

Alcohol Healthwatch doubts an alcohol sachet provider designed the product for anything other than concealing alcohol.

Aidan Creamer, the owner of the sachet company Cheeky Limited, says the product wasn't designed to be smuggled into events, but for practical uses like serving on planes.

But Alcohol Healthwatch director Rebecca Williams says they're doing nothing but causing harm.

"They really are types of packet drugs that people can take in and circumvent restrictions."

Auckland councillor Dr Cathy Casey has written to Justice Minister Amy Adams on behalf of the Eden Park Community Liaison Group asking the Government to outlaw importation of the 25ml sachets.

Dr Casey was concerned the sachets, which can be easily concealed and are about the size of a condom wrapper, could be too easily smuggled into events with alcohol restrictions.

Auckland City Police were also continuing to find the sachets at events and venues around the city, and has raised the issue at a national level.

Dr Casey recently bought three of the sachets produced by Cheeky and was alarmed to pay just $1.50 each for sachets that carried a relatively high alcohol concentration of 20 per cent.

Aidan Creamer said his company sold about 20,000 of the sachets since opening in 2013, and expected they were still being sold in some bottle stores due to distributors having bought bulk amounts of them.

"And I think there's a bit more an issue in New Zealand than cheeky sachets," he said, adding that a ban would also have to apply to miniature spirit bottles and miniature alcohol shots.

"If they are going to ban it, then they're going to have to ban so many things that are similar to it."

At a meeting at Auckland Council, Dr Casey showed the packets to visiting senior ministers including Steven Joyce, Nick Smith, Paula Bennett and Anne Tolley.

Justice Minister Amy Adams said she would consider the matter, which had not yet been raised with the Government.

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