A Mount Maunganui woman is concerned people cutting and stealing bits of her loved-San Pedro plant are using it as a hallucinogenic drug.
Jude Habib said she's noticed bits of her 12-foot San Padro cactus have been sawn off - probably by someone reaching over the fence.
"It's gut wrenching," she told 1 NEWS. "I love my plants and my garden. It felt like losing an arm."
She moved into her place in 2012 so doesn't know how long it's been growing there, but described it as "absolutely stunning" when it flowers.
"I'm worried about my other branches."
It could be a coincidence, but Ms Habib believes recent news of a Christchurch man selling parts of his cactus might have drawn people's attention to it. The man was defending the sale of his San Pedro and said he's no drug dealer.
Ms Habib said she was concerned people might get sick if the thieves tried to make the drug incorrectly, as well as if they were to do something like drive while high on the substance.
Upon going to police, she found out that her plants weren't the only victims. Others in the area had also been targeted.
Police said they couldn't comment on the case specifically, citing privacy reasons, but said there were no other lines of inquiry and that they haven't heard of any similar reports.
Police referred questions about the substances in the cactus to a statement on The Drug Foundation website: "In New Zealand, cacti such as the San Pedro may be cultivated for ornamental purposes but not for recreational use. Mescaline is a Class A drug here under the Misuse of Drugs Act. That means you could be imprisoned for up to six months for possession and up to life for supply."
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