Selfharm after impuredrug use

A DUNEDIN student trying to scratch his eyeballs out has prompted a warning from police about drug use.

Senior Sergeant Craig Dinnissen, of Dunedin, said police were called to help St John at a party in Castle St about 11pm on Monday.

A 19yearold student had taken MDMA and was ‘‘trying to scratch his eyeballs out’’, he said.

The drugs were tested and contained a little MDMA but a ‘‘huge quantity of bath salts’’.

The man was taken to Dunedin Hospital.

Snr Sgt Dinnissen said people needed to practise caution when it came to untested drugs, and preferably not take drugs at all.

‘‘That's a huge risk . . . you're taking your life into your hands by popping pills that aren't prescription.’’

About the same time, police were called to assist St John with crowd control after two ‘‘very drunk’’ students fell from a roof in the Queen St area.

Both had minor injuries. KnowYourStuff, which tests the makeup of drugs, is operating in Dunedin for ReOrientation.

New Zealand's illicit drug market has had a major shakeup due to Covid19, a new report forecasting likely price increases and a drop in purity.

A postCovid19 drug landscape document created by Drug Information and Alert NZ found it was ‘‘almost certain’’ the changes in the country's illicit drug market would have wideranging social impacts.

The document shows there was a significant reduction in seizures of MDMA in mail and nonmail imports, which during the January to March period were down 7% on 2019.

‘‘It is likely there will be a continued reduction in supply of MDMA to New Zealand. However, it is unlikely the effects of this reduced supply will be as significant as that of methamphetamine,’’ the report read. — Additional reporting The New Zealand Herald