Synthetic cannabis - or 'Spice' - is causing devastation on the streets of New Zealand.
Nine people in Auckland have died this month after allegedly using the illegal substances.
The drug itself is plant matter, which is then mixed with artificial chemicals that mimic the cannabinoids found in cannabis that get users high.
Synthetics were originally created as way of bypassing laws that outlawed real cannabis.
Some varieties of the drug contain over 100 times the equivalent of THC found in traditional cannabis.
On May 8, 2014, New Zealand ended its 294-day experiment with the legalised sale of synthetic drugs.
The idea was that the Ministry of Health would test and approve new drugs to be sold to adults in licensed stores.
However, the need for strict testing and a costly permit has resulted in none being produced.
So while the manufacturing and supply of synthetic cannabis is now theoretically legal, the demand for illegal drugs is still there because none have reached store shelves.
Newshub went to streets of Auckland to find out what the public thinks.
Do they think synthetic cannabis is a problem, and is it worse than normal cannabis? Why did it become a problem in the first place?
And would legalising cannabis would help stem the rising death toll?
Newshub.
