Canterbury Mornings

Newstalk ZB listener Johanna has been addicted to synthetic drugs for 7 years.In a powerful call to Chris Lynch's radio show, the 48-year-old Christchurch resident explained how she become addicted to synthetic drugs.She says she started smoking drugs to numb the pain following the death of her beloved mother.She was smoking "real cannabis" but didn't like knowing she was smoking an "illegal" substance, so she chose synthetic drugs, which at the time, were readily available at her local dairy.In 2013, the Government passed the Psychoactive Substances Act, banning so-called legal highs from sale. But that didn't stop Johanna's addiction, and only made her go "underground" to seek the drugs from dealers in Christchurch.Now she has found the courage to admit to herself, friend and family that she is a drug addict but is well on the road to recovery.Listen to her powerful story above: