NZ Goverment bans Partypills

[~lostgurl~]

To ban or not?

Monday, 2 July 2007
Stuff.co.nz

Banning things they don't like or deem inappropriate has become a popular pastime for our politicians. Meat pies and sugary drinks are out for our schools, as is smacking in our homes, as the Government seeks to save the nation's youngsters from over-zealous parents or themselves, the Nelson Mail said in an editorial on Monday.

The latest to earn the black stamp is the manufacture and sale of party pills containing benzylpiperazine, or BZP. There are sound reasons for each of these examples of social engineering. However, the Government might well have cause to regret its heavy-handed action over party pills.

There is no doubt that abuse of the pills carries the potential for harm. So, too, does misusing alcohol, aspirin, flyspray or many other legal and commonly available products. In opting for the ban, the Government is following the advice of the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs. The committee studied research on the danger of party pills and found no evidence of them causing deaths but raised concerns when they are used frequently, in high doses or with other drugs including alcohol. Mixing prescription or off-the-shelf pills with alcohol also can be dangerous, even lethal.

BZP products are sometimes marketed as herbal highs, as if that gives them some sort of "natural" legitimacy. To the contrary, they are built around a chemical developed as a worming agent for cattle. The use of BZP party pills is very common, particularly in the nightclub and dance-party scene. One survey last year showed that 38 percent of Kiwis aged 20-24 had used party pills in the previous 12 months, another found one in five aged 13 to 45 had tried them and a third found that nearly half of males aged 20 to 24 had used them. These figures indicate wide use - and acceptance - of the drug in the eight years since it was introduced here, suggesting the time has long past when a ban might have been effective.

There is a range of potential consequences. The worst is that the party pill scene will go underground and gangs move in. That raises the prospect of lax manufacturing or even deliberate adulteration with harmful and addictive substances. It is also possible that banning BZP will steer young people toward further experimentation with hard drugs or other damaging chemicals. The new law also stands to create a new class of criminals, with implications for their travel and career prospects, and will put further pressure on the police and justice system. Meanwhile, party pill manufacturers say they will use a planned six-month amnesty on BZP use to develop and market alternatives. One plus is that the safety of new products will have to be proven prior to their introduction.

Despite the implications, the crackdown has been welcomed by police and those involved in drug and alcohol rehabilitation. However, adding yet another substance to the banned list only highlights the hypocrisy by comparison with the way society treats the drug which causes by far the most harm, alcohol - and resentment is a key driver of drug experimentation. BZP is already banned in many developed countries, including the United States, Australia, Japan and Britain, but sales are allowed, with restrictions, in Sweden, the Netherlands and Spain. Perhaps that approach should have been trialled before the sledgehammer was applied. At least that would encourage greater manufacturing certainty than will be the case on the black market. Before closing one door, the Government should have given greater weight to what might be lurking behind the others that will inevitably open.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/nelsonm...5592a6508.html

[Alfa]

Here is a poll on New Zealand national TV wether or not piperazines should be banned or not:
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411425/945203
At this point 66% says yes. Please add your votes!

[~lostgurl~]

Party pill hoard foils ban

Sunday January 28, 2007
By Jonathan Marshall
NZ Herald

Party pill manufacturers have developed and stockpiled thousands of BZP alternatives in preparation for an expected Government ban.

Advertising campaigns have begun for mind-altering products that don't contain BZP, but use substances such as kava and caffeine instead.
The newest pills - expected to replace the multi-million-dollar BZP party pill industry - are in secure storage awaiting trials and approval. The developers are remaining tight-lipped about the chemical make-up of their new party drugs but say that the ingredients are not regulated under current law.

Last weekend the Herald on Sunday revealed that a government-funded study into the effects of benzylpiperazine, or BZP, had to be abandoned after trial participants started suffering nausea, dizziness and hallucinations.

Cabinet is expected to meet in May to decide on the future of BZP. Party pill industry insiders are predicting the substance - contained in the 20 million party pills sold since 2005 - will be prohibited, as is the case in Japan, Denmark, Greece, Sweden and Australia.

One of the men behind the new non-BZP pills, who asked not to be named, said: "it will be an exciting time for us, we are going to try and make it better than BZP and much cleaner". He said the industry was "gearing up" for a ban and developing alternatives because "it is quite serious this time, more than ever actually, and we don't know what is around the corner so we need to be ready". Radio advertising was being booked with major networks, he said.

Already in shops are four non-BZP products made for people with an "instant need for turbo speed".

ESR scientist Dr Keith Bedford said it was likely such products contained plant extracts.

According to an article published last September in New Scientist magazine, the next craze for a legal high is likely to be kratom, an extract from a tree native to south-east Asia that's been dubbed the "herbal speedball" for its euphoric and energising properties.

The chairman of the Social Tonics Association of New Zealand, Matt Bowden, wants government consideration given to all substances that have a similar effect as BZP.

"If there is a ban on BZP it would be sensible to put a catch-all mechanism in place so that manufacturers can't just develop copies," he said.

But the Minister responsible for drug policy, Jim Anderton, said he was not "sufficiently briefed" on BZP alternatives. "I've been given no information on this and will need to seek advice."

Anderton said he was not surprised about the latest developments. "These people are interested in making money and don't really care about people's well-being."

"It is a constant battle and there is no final solution."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/...ectid=10421246

[radiometer]

IF this is true, it is utterly retarded (not that this is uncommon in the "legal highs" scene). How could anyone in their right mind claim that a kratom product could be a "replacement" for a piperazine product?

If it is true, the producers deserve to have their asses kicked for hastening the scheduling of kratom.

[AntiAimer]

Originally Posted by radiometer

IF this is true, it is utterly retarded (not that this is uncommon in the "legal highs" scene). How could anyone in their right mind claim that a kratom product could be a "replacement" for a piperazine product?

If it is true, the producers deserve to have their asses kicked for hastening the scheduling of kratom.

Yeah people need to realise, the only thing keeping any drug from not becomeing scheduled is if it's not popularized. Any drug that comes out, which actually makes someone happy, becomes illegel no matter the risks involved in takeing it.

This is why Smurf loves the sentence where it says, "Anderton said he was not surprised about the latest developments. "These people are interested in making money and don't really care about people's well-being." Really gives a laugh and sadness.

[~lostgurl~]

I just noticed when reading this article again that they are actually talking about 2 things.... 1. BZP being banned and replaced by an un-named substance and 2. The next craze for a legal high is going to be Kratom. Doesn't even belong in the same article, but wow it had me wondering the first time around.

And the part where it says that "Advertising campaigns have begun for mind-altering products that don't contain BZP, but use substances such as kava and caffeine instead." doesn't make sense, these are substances already used in party pills.

[Thirdedge]

Sunday January 28, 2007
By Jonathan Marshall

Party pill manufacturers have developed and stockpiled thousands of BZP alternatives in preparation for an expected Government ban.

Advertising campaigns have begun for mind-altering products that don't contain BZP, but use substances such as kava and caffeine instead.

The newest pills - expected to replace the multi-million-dollar BZP party pill industry - are in secure storage awaiting trials and approval. The developers are remaining tight-lipped about the chemical make-up of their new party drugs but say that the ingredients are not regulated under current law.

Last weekend the Herald on Sunday revealed that a government-funded study into the effects of benzylpiperazine, or BZP, had to be abandoned after trial participants started suffering nausea, dizziness and hallucinations.

Cabinet is expected to meet in May to decide on the future of BZP. Party pill industry insiders are predicting the substance - contained in the 20 million party pills sold since 2005 - will be prohibited, as is the case in Japan, Denmark, Greece, Sweden and Australia.

One of the men behind the new non-BZP pills, who asked not to be named, said: "it will be an exciting time for us, we are going to try and make it better than BZP and much cleaner". He said the industry was "gearing up" for a ban and developing alternatives because "it is quite serious this time, more than ever actually, and we don't know what is around the corner so we need to be ready". Radio advertising was being booked with major networks, he said.

Already in shops are four non-BZP products made for people with an "instant need for turbo speed".

ESR scientist Dr Keith Bedford said it was likely such products contained plant extracts.

According to an article published last September in New Scientist magazine, the next craze for a legal high is likely to be kratom, an extract from a tree native to south-east Asia that's been dubbed the "herbal speedball" for its euphoric and energising properties.

The chairman of the Social Tonics Association of New Zealand, Matt Bowden, wants government consideration given to all substances that have a similar effect as BZP.

"If there is a ban on BZP it would be sensible to put a catch-all mechanism in place so that manufacturers can't just develop copies," he said.

But the Minister responsible for drug policy, Jim Anderton, said he was not "sufficiently briefed" on BZP alternatives. "I've been given no information on this and will need to seek advice."

Anderton said he was not surprised about the latest developments. "These people are interested in making money and don't really care about people's well-being.

"It is a constant battle and there is no final solution."

Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/stor...ectid=10421246

[enquirewithin]

Legal highs fall foul of experts

Manawatu Standard | Monday, 29 January 2007

Debate about whether party pills should be made illegal is heating up, and Manawatu people are in the thick of it, reports GRANT MILLER.

Party pills polarise people.
To some, they are a reasonably safe substitute for illegal drugs. To others, they are the gateway. For most users, however, they are a supplement for alcohol or illicit drugs.
But the evidence has been marshalled, and calls for a ban are gaining traction.
Legal party pills have been deemed by an influential panel of experts to pose a "moderate risk of harm". Their finding follows Massey University research that shows their use and abuse is widespread.
The Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs is recommending that the key ingredient, benzylpiperazine (BZP), and related piperazines, should be classed a C1 controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton is seeking comment from the industry in response to the committee's recommendation, and submissions close on February 23.
Nearly half of men aged 20 to 24 have used party pills containing BZP, according to the Auckland- based Massey survey. The survey of more than 2000 people aged 13 to 45 showed one in five had used party pills, and two in five 18 to 29 year olds. More men than women had tried them and more Maori than non-Maori.
The committee noted there is a public perception that the legal status implies BZP is safe.
"The studies carried out to date have documented real harm, and there is still no information about the possible long-term consequences of BZP use," the committee concluded.
BZP also has no proven therapeutic use for humans.
Party pills are famous for their hangovers, and it's thought that this effect would make them less attractive in the illicit market.
Legal party pills emerged in New Zealand around 2000 and have become increasingly popular. In Manawatu, they started to become particularly prominent in 2005.
A yellow-coloured building in Palmerston North, on the corner of Church and Pitt streets, became the focal point. The shop was called Go Legal, and promoted herbal highs and hemp.
Proprietor Glenn Collis caused an added stir in April and May 2005 by selling nitrous oxide, or nos, ostensibly as a propellant for whipped cream.
However, he stopped stocking nos after warnings by the Ministry of Health that it would not allow it to be sold "under the guise of sham sales for cream-dispensing".
He also told the Manawatu Standard party pills are most popular with the over-30s crowd.
Five months later, Collis made the front page of the newspaper in circumstances his lawyer later described as a "bad day of Titanic proportions".
Feeling "on edge", he trashed his house over a missing cellphone, had a terse disagreement with his mate, smashed windows in his shop with a crossbow and almost lost his life. After a stand-off that lasted more than an hour, police moved in with tear gas. The building caught fire and a police officer kicked down a side door and rescued Collis, who was then arrested.
Go Legal went up in smoke.
Rumours circulated at the time that Collis papped party pills the night before he was arrested. That much was confirmed in Palmerston North District Court last week, though a jury acquitted him of all charges relating to the use of the crossbow.
Though Go Legal was the most high-profile outlet for party pills, the pills are easy to get.
One of the biggest concerns is the popular practice of taking them with alcohol.
On March 7, 2005, 29-year-old party-goer Aaron Werder died of heart failure at Foxton Beach after taking several energy-boosting herbal pills during a drinking session with friends. He was found face down on the lawn next to a garden, with bark in his mouth.
"There needs to be a wide understanding in the community that the taking of herbal party pills can be hazardous to your health and can lead, as in this case, to death," Levin coroner Phillip Comber said. "Just because some pills and other concoctions are herbal, it doesn't necessarily mean they are safe."
Massey's research showed 91 percent of party pill poppers had also drunk alcohol.
The Manawatu Standard spoke with a 17-year-old Palmerston North man who takes party pills.
He strongly advised keeping party pills separate from alcohol.
"You have too much energy, you're too hyped up to do anything. It makes you want to do everything, but you can't decide on what to do."
He said most people take at least three times the recommended dose.
For every pill that is banned, a new legal high is on the way. Kratom is likely to be the next craze, New Scientist reported last year.
It has euphoric and energising properties and works like heroin and cocaine. It's cheap and easy to get in the United States.
Stargate International co-founder Matt Bowden, a former drug addict, argues that legal highs are a safe alternative to illicit drugs.
The company markets alternatives to street drugs, advocating "harm minimisation solutions".
The Massey survey found that those who used legal party pills had much higher levels of illicit drug use than the wider population 61 percent had used cannabis, compared with 20 percent of the general population aged 13 to 45.
Manawatu Street Van coordinator Lew Findlay said he has strong views on the legality of party pills. He wants them banned.
Mr Findlay said he had come across one person who had had 18 in a night. "He reckoned he needed that many to get a buzz."
He had also come across four people who were taking party pills in a car. They were having a competition to see who would be first to black out, Mr Findlay said.
"They were going to drive home (afterward).
"How many car accidents have there been? There's no way of checking."

[Thirdedge]

Originally Posted by enquirewithin

On March 7, 2005, 29-year-old party-goer Aaron Werder died of heart failure at Foxton Beach after taking several energy-boosting herbal pills during a drinking session with friends. He was found face down on the lawn next to a garden, with bark in his mouth.

This death was caused by a combination of high dose ephedra and alcohol, not BZP. If Swim remembers correctly the guy also had a heart condition.

[renegades]

Why do people like BZP? This swim bought some in 1998, tried it and found it to be a very dirty buzz - a lot of body load. Plus it is much weaker than meth, so those who have done meth will be greatly disappointed with BZP. Yep, this swim did it a few times and put the BZP in storage. In 8 years, haven't touch the stuff. BZP was one of the first RCs to hit the market.

[Nicaine]

Such utter crap about kratom... "dubbed the herbal speedball" and "works like heroin and cocaine..." Retarded, misguided, misinformed idiots.

[~lostgurl~]

Side-effects of party pills a hidden danger

by Nicola Brennan
Tuesday, 30 January, 2007
The Gisborne Herald

THE ever-increasing popularity of party pills as a method of achieving a "high" has Gisborne healthcare professionals concerned, as the often-hidden side-effects start to rear their ugly head at music festivals.
St John Ambulance staff working at R & V on New Year’s Eve treated a number of women complaining of urinary problems, which included difficulties urinating and pain while urinating.

While manager Shane Clapperton said the complaints could not be directly linked to the consumption of party pills, he did agree that party pills containing BZP (benzylpiperazine) had been shown to cause such problems.
For him, party pills had more of an indirect link to urinary problems, with other activities people got up to while on party pills (including sex) believed to be behind the number of cases treated at R & V.

Gisborne Hospital emergency department doctor Patrick McHugh said BZP had been associated with acute renal failure, which caused waste products to build up in the blood due to the kidneys being unable to work normally.
"In short BZP, is associated with urinary problems and is known to cause difficulties with passing urine through dehydration, acute renal failure, dysuria (pain on passing urine) and hesitancy (difficulty in starting to void urine) mechanisms," Dr McHugh said.

St John transported 22 patients from R & V to his department on New Year’s Eve, the vast majority for overdoses on party pills, alcohol and ecstasy. "A small number of these did have urinary problems." Mixing intoxicants — such as party pills and alcohol — was even more likely to result in adverse events.

To him it was becoming increasingly apparent that the use of BZP was associated with debilitating side effects and reactions, especially when used in combination with other drugs.

"I would like to see much tighter regulation regarding production, sale and use of party pills, along with measures to educate the populace regarding effects of their use and research looking at long-term effects of their use."
He did not believe banning the pills was necessarily the answer, with prohibition running the risk of driving their use "underground" and "creating perverse (black) market forces".

Dr McHugh said parents who knew their children were taking party pills should be concerned.

The effects of the drug had not yet been fully tested.

http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/arti...iid=633&sud=27

[Alfa]

Ban party pills - Mother's plea as son fights for life

By Jarrod Booker

New Zealand Herald
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/author/sto...ectid=10424086

A mother whose son is fighting for his life after taking party pills wants to see them banned.

Ben Rodden, 23, became seriously ill after taking Torque, a brand of party pills available over the counter, to keep him alert while he was deejaying at an all-night weekend rave in Greymouth.

About 3am on Sunday he started shaking and sweating uncontrollably and "quickly went downhill".

"I don't know how many he took. Only he knows that," said his mother, Wendy Rodden. "I just think they should be banned. But what happens then? They go underground? They are just not good for the kids."

Mr Rodden remained in an induced coma yesterday in Christchurch Hospital's intensive care unit, after being flown from Greymouth. He may have permanent damage to his liver and kidneys.

The controversial party pill ingredient benzylpiperazine (BZP) was found in his system, as was caffeine. It is unclear if he took anything else, but his mother said doctors at Christchurch Hospital did not find alcohol in his system.


"They say he is young and he can heal. We have just got to wait and see," Mrs Rodden said.

"It's very traumatic. His brothers are taking it very hard. It's tough for the extended family as well - they are all gutted."

The chairman of the ministerial committee on drugs, Jim Anderton, said several studies and reports from New Zealand health researchers outlined the "real and potential harm" caused by party pills containing BZP.

"While there have been no recorded deaths attributed solely to the use of BZP, we know that severe adverse effects from the use of party pills occur unpredictably and that the seizures which have been recorded have the potential to kill. Everyone should know that."

Professor Mike Ardagh, a specialist at Christchurch Hospital's emergency department, said the hospital saw regular cases of people unwell after taking party pills.

Symptoms ranged from agitation and paranoia to seizures and even more serious results such as that suffered by Mr Rodden.

The Social Tonics Association (Stanz), which represents the party pill industry, said a ban was the wrong approach.

Stanz has suggested regulations and a safety code to govern the manufacture, sale and use of party pills. These included a restriction on the amount of BZP in a tablet, and a requirement for health warnings on packaging.

"Prohibition has never worked, not in any country and not at any time, and will not work in New Zealand either," said Stanz chairman Matt Bowden. "It will simply deliver the market to the gangs, and to hard drugs like P.

"BZP was designed as a stimulant which, unlike P, is not addictive and does not provoke violent or criminal behaviour."

National MP Jacqui Dean said Mr Anderton was sitting on his hands.

"Here we have a young man on life support, while worried doctors in Christchurch are watching rising numbers of party pill users end up in hospital. What is it going to take for the minister to act?"


Ban moves

* The Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs has recommended the Government make common ingredients in party pills, such BZP, phenylpiperazines and related piperazines, illegal because of the risk of harm.

* The matter is open to the public to comment on until next month.

[Thirdedge]

Sounds like the above was caused by a combination of street xtc, alcohol and bzp. But of course the media have gone into bzp hysterics.

[~lostgurl~]

Your say: Banning BZP party pills

Stuff.co.nz
Thursday, 15 February 2007

partypills.jpg

A young Greymouth man is in a coma after taking BZP party pills. Stuff.co.nz readers are divided on whether or not the pills should be banned.

RE: Hospitalised DJ's parents demand party-pill ban, Second party pill victim in care

As someone who has been researching drug policy issues and the effects of prohibition for many years now I can confidently predict that a ban on BZP, as with bans on other drugs, will make matters much worse. The availability won't decrease much (it hasn't with cannabis or 'P') but the profits for suppliers will soar. As there will be no controls on content and quality, overdoses and poisonings, very rare now, will increase and will be much worse. We probably then will have deaths. Not because of BZP, but because of prohibition. Regulate, don't ban. Same with other drugs. Banning alcohol, cannabis and dare I say it, 'P' didn't reduce use, but generated a raft of unintended problems.
Brandon Hutchison

I see that there is a lot of support for BZP and recreational drugs. However, to use the argument that if we bad BZP we should ban driving, swimming, skateboarding etc. is mindless. The issue I have with BZP or any other drug, is that it is a mind altering substance. It is healthy to take risks, and sure, sometimes the risks we take bring us harm, whether it be through poor calculation or lack of sound judgement. However, taking a substance that alters our mental state, hinders our judgement and opens the door to making poor decisions. It is the right of our health system to ensure that we aren't put in a position where we are unable to make sound judgement
Shaun Hurlow

Why are these allowed on sale? Is the NZ govt trying to kill its young citizens? Well from outside that's what it looks like. There is already enough drugs both legal and illegal circulating in the country without having to add more. This drug-pushing government should be ashamed of themselves and should be providing a substantial amount of money to drug rehabilitation groups to help affected youngsters get back their lives.
Yvonne Galt-Gourlay

I am highly amused by many of the comments made in relation to this article. The reason why things are banned is because they are dangerous "to the public good", or that there are sufficient numbers of incredibly stupid people out there who will abuse it. I want to be protected from people whacked out on drugs - including alcohol. You talk about your precious civil liberties. What you do not understand is that you live in a society. In doing so, you must abrogate certain rights for the good of society. There are certain things you just cannot do without incurring some sort of penalty. So do not bleat on about your loss of freedom. You never had it. Any rights you do have must be balanced with your responsibilities - as Sherrece points out to those around you. I feel very sorry for this man's family, but he was extremely foolish, and hopefully has learned his lesson the hard way. It is a great pity more of the respondants can't learn the lesson the easy way. I also pity Andrew Brown who thinks that he knows what is in the drugs he buys. There is no control on these drugs. You have no idea what the manufacturing standards are for these things. What is the matter with those people who cannot find a better, less harmful way to "have a good time"?
David Grice

I am surprised to see the hysterical comment from someone who works in a hospital. It is common knowledge among addiction/treatment workers that BZP has very, very low risk of dependence and major mishaps. If people feel they must ingest drugs, like alcohol, cannabis, BZP, whatever, then they will. There are drugs everywhere, and always have been. Doh! Making any of them illegal is counterproductive, just makes them more glam to younger people. And those people who know the most also say that the younger that kids start these habits then the more problems they are likelier to have in the long run. It's a no brainer. Come on folks, ditch the hysteria and muddled thinking. BZP is best kept as it is, but I'd like to see them taken out of all liquor outlets.
Paula

I'd like to see a comparison of statistics of people who have been hospitalised with alcohol poisoning, or all those who have died from smoking cigarettes. Party pills when taken as directed are fine. I agree they need to be regulated to stop the few dumb kids that are abusing them but to make them unavailable to the general, sensible public is unfair.
Nicole Campbell

As a member of the Libertainz Party who has stood for parliament advocating the abandonment of the ?War on drugs?, I am pleased to read the commonsense comments that identify prohibition as the unjust/ counter productive/ anti self-responsibility B.S that it is! I would like to add to these by pointing out the violation of our sovereignty over our own bodies, the insane waste of Police time, the waste of taxpayers' money, the loss of jobs and legitimate business? that is the bankruptcy of this busybody bollocks!
Tim Wikiriwhi

I have in the past formally complained to Christchurch Hospital about one of their rabidly anti-BZP doctors encouraging the media profiling of people presenting with overdoses. The message this sends is to deter people in overdose situations from presenting at A&E, in order to avoid any embarassing publicity. By the time the seriousness of an OD situation is realised by those around, it may be too late. Although this guy is in a life-threatening condition, the links with BZP and dosage and other substances are at the moment not clearly evidenced. On the other hand, the harms to public health, in the sense of public use of recreational or other substances, is significant. I suggest that those coming from a health perspective get off their puritanical high horses, stop trying to ban what is clearly a low risk practice (based on the doses of BZP sold and used with no significant health problems), and consider the wider health picture.
Steve Luke

I am also sorry to hear of the DJ in a coma due to party pills. No matter how it happened it is still sad, but blaming party pills is not the answer. The cause is clearly due to lack of responsibility, not BZP. I'm not defending BZP but I'd prefer it over P in my communtiy. If a driver crashes into a crowd of people at 120 km/h do we blame the car because it can go that fast? A little bit of maturity could have easily prevented this ever happening and if the party pill ingredient were to be banned, it will just create yet another drug circling in a more dangerous world or illegal substances. How many deaths are caused by alcohol per year? Over to you Mr Anderton.
Straight Edge

Andrew Brown's comments are right on the money. Prohibiting drugs never gets rid of them, it merely creates a black market. This leads to (1) more uncertainty about the ingredients, leading to more risk, as Andrew mentions, (2) higher profits for those who sell the drugs, (3) more civil liberties violations of innocent citizens as government agents resort to more and more extreme methods trying to win an unwinnable war, (4) ever-growing expenditures of taxpayer money trying to win the unwinnable war, (5) loss of respect for the law, as the law extends its reach into areas where public consensus is lacking, (6) corruption of law enforcement as officials are tempted by the lucrative payoffs offered by those who stand to make lots of money selling the drugs, or decide to get into selling directly themselves, (7) otherwise innocent young people coming into contact with and sometimes becoming involved in violent crime, as a result of their own criminalisation as drug users, (8) the growth of government propaganda, as officials under pressure to produce results in the unwinnable war resort to the dissemination of biased and misleading rather than balanced and honest information, (9) the loss of trust in government warnings and health messages resulting from this growth in propaganda, and (10) the rise of an arm of the State (a prison-police-prosecutorial complex, if you will) that has a vested financial interest in continuing to wage the unwinnable war long after it becomes obvious to most of society that it is not winnable.
Starchild

I do not think that BZP and party pills should be banned. Sure like alcohol, firearms, automobiles etc, if used wrong they can (although in the case of party pills very rarely) cause people harm. What will cause a lot more harm in the future is the alternatives people will turn too if BZP is taken off the market. Those who have access will be replacing them with extacy, LSD or P and will be a lot worse off in the long run. leave the party pills alone and keep people off the heavy stuff.
Eddie J

Simply put: read the instruction. People like this ruin it for everyone else who knows when to say when and how to read instructions and warnings. I've been taking these party pills since the first day they came out. I'm now in my late 20s and in a high profile job paying a six-figure salary...and still taking party pills! What does that say? By making them illegal, it will simply increase the black market and push people back into pills that they don't know whats actually in them.
James Mostert

Every time some fool misuses party drugs the response in the media is so predictable. I am sorry for the parents for having such an idiot for a son, I hope this mistake makes him wiser and not more brain dead than he already is. The understandable reaction from the parents is however the wrong one and only serves to create a general hysteria about party drugs and the interference by the state in choices adults have a right to make. This guy is a young adult and should begin to act like one. If he wants to take party drugs that is his choice and should also be his right. He should also consider the effect the misuse of drugs can have on those close to him, like his parents and friends. They are now obviously all very concerned for him. Perhaps their concern would be better focused more directly at him and his poor judgement and how they could help him to make more intelligent choices rather than on banning something which so many people are able to use correctly. Education is the key, though for some nothing seems to deter their desire to achieve notoriety in the Darwin Awards.
Cinnamom Moss

For the people that say it's the nation's health they're looking after and not about liberty, consider this. I am 25 years old, I want to take BZP, knowing FULL WELL its effects, yet it's illegal to do so (soon anyway). I am old enough to do many many things, even gamble away everything I own, but you want to take away my right to take a drug because you think it's bad for me, what right does you have to tell me what to do with my own body. What about McDonalds? What about alcohol? I see a lot of anti-BZP people making claims but no-one answers the questions to them. And even if you still disagree you must admit that prohibition doesn't work. We legalised prostitution here in NZ, now the prostitutes are safer and have legal backing, yet if someone takes drugs, you make them a criminal for making a choice regarding their own life.
Andrew Brown

Why stop at banning party drugs? I mean there are solvents, hell they should be banned for sure and cars, plenty of stupid idiots like this guy have killed themselves (and others!) using cars, so cars have to be banned. Er...water..yep I mean water just look at the number of people who drown here each summer. Hell yes, water must be banned! Why...we could go right on banning stuff until we are all so safe we just couldn't move for safety. Let's make our whole lives idiot-proof.
Phillip Everson

I'm surprised at the number of people defending the widely used drug BZP. Sure BZP does come with explicit instructions on how the drug should be taken, however BZP also effects the cognitive thought process, rendering the instructions redundant. If Extacy is found to be impure, often BZP is the additive that deems it so. BZP is bad for your body and on it's own creates a bendy unpleasant high. If cianyde produced dizzying highs, would you also defend that as an injestable substance? Russian Roulette is good for 5 out of 6 people also. If the government prohibits BZP they have the mental and physical health of the public in mind. They don't do it out of spite for the publics freedom. This isn't a political issue, it's a health issue. Stop claiming that your liberties are under scrutiny.
Darian Ward

It would seem that this guy has taken way more than the recommended dose (who is to say that party pills caused his condition in the first place?). So because he can't follow the instructions clearly printed on the container, his parents are demanding a ban. I'm sick to death of people in this country who can't take responsibilty for their own actions!
Melanie Wilson

To the parents of the young man in a coma: I've been there, feeling my chest was going to cave in, no sleep and ongoing paranoia/anxiety... I wanted to die. Never touched the pills since, they can have the effects they 'claim to have' however not in all cases, those who say they are fine, BZP was used to worm cows, come on... since when did we become livestock? You can't change the minds of the youth however showing them what can and does happen, may help curb the excessive intake of the pills, but if it isn't party pills there will aways be something else. Those who are making the money from the sale of these pills, will be gearing up the next 'fix' for your kids. The government and police need to get them, stop the problem at the production end not point of sale!
Krystal

I'd like people who want to see these things banned tell me what they think prohibition does? Are these people not aware that drugs are readily available anyway and by prohibiting these drugs they create a black market with no morals. If you buy BZP from a shop you know 100% what is in them, but when BZP goes illegal, and when people take drugs (not if) they haven't a clue what's in them. Most people aren't aware ecstasy in NZ contains a lot of P, and they have no protection against it, but with BZP they know. This kid took too much BZP, mixed it with alcohol (both things the packet states not to do) and yet he's not blamed, BZP is, despite the fact that it was his poor decision making that got him into the situation in the first place.
Andrew Brown

I am reading with interest the article about the use of party drugs, and the legislation surronding this. I also am reading some of the comments from readers below. I am astounded the level of support for the use of party drugs, and one saying if the drug is taken as directed it's all good. Are you for real? I would say you are damn lucky! I am a registered nurse in an Intensive Care Unit and I have seen first hand the effects of party drugs on young people, and I am sure the patient I had die too would have thought he would have been okay. Why does anyone need any party pills to have a great time? Nothing of this nature is safe. Anyone taking anything like this to "have a good time" as a death wish, and it is only a matter of time. Think about those around you who care, family and friends and stop being so selfish!
Sherrece Tanner

Once again the media rails against common sense in demonising drugs, suggesting that this young man's tragic circumstance is somehow a rational reason to ban party pills outright. With over 20 million BZP party pills consumed in this country with very, very few reported incidents, as well as no solid scientific data on the long term effects, there is no justification whatsoever for banning them. There is certainly less justification than for banning alchohol, cigarettes, sugary drinks, fatty foods, cars that do over 90km/h, skateboards, motorcycles, contact sports, and all of those other things which are statistically more likely to harm you than party pills. We do not need a nanny state, but one which respects our liberty, and one which is willing to accept that with all freedom comes risk. For historically dubious reasons it is illegal for citizens of NZ to smoke cannabis (though significantly less hazardous than alchohol), ecstasy, LSD, and a host of other recreational drugs that pose no significant risks to the populous. There is a huge body of actual science which the government refuses to acknowledge, insisting that "this is evil drugs we are talking about here", as Jim Anderton put it. Political mileage aside, it would be wonderful to one day have a rational and libertarian government that has no interest in using fear, uncertainty, and doubt to gnaw away at our freedoms in the name of "safety".
Paul Dorman

If a ban on party pills is warranted due to a young man (voluntarily) taking pills and ending up hospitilised, the only logical conclusion is an immediate out-right ban on alcohol, a drug which *kills* hundreds of people every year. (But they tried that in America in the twenties remember?). But Jim Anderton would never consider banning alcohol as it is a drug he's happy to consume himself. To paraphrase his quote from the end of the article - "Alcohol is just a disenfectant," Anderton said. "If everyone was honest, they'd just say, `Come here to get your hospital grade disenfectant for a high'."
Dave Smylie

My personal opinion on this party pill business is they should be banned they are not good and obviously more and more people are purchasing these and as they say in the Herald they are better then P cause you dont get addicted but as far as i am concerned they are pretty much as bad as each other. Whats it going to take for them to get banned does someone have to die, it shouldnt have to get to this before they are made illegal. Ban them, I say.
Melissa Howarth

I'm truely sorry to hear about your son, no parent should have to go through that. Hope he pulls through. But I'm sick of hearing all this crap about party pills. It clearly reads on the back on the packet what to do and what not to do when you take them. Ive taken them many times and followed the rules and nothing has happened to me. So if people just stick to the directions, they wouldn't find them selves in hospital.
Candace

No offence to the mother and father, but your son is in a coma. If he were to die, you'd have a point. Alcohol and Tobacco kill thousands, so by following the logic of your new crusade, surely you would be targeting those evils as well? If not, you're point is not valid. I bet your 'DJ' son overdosed to get in the position he's in. Someone didn't read the warning labels, obviously.
Nathan

one must wonder how many party pills the young man had taken. If like most people I know who take party pills, he has taken more the recommended limit. What can one do? Is this going to be another case of the few who can't follow instructions or warnings ruining it for the many? Sure BZP isn't the best, but its better than P, smack or cocaine.
Regan Caldwell

BZP is not dangerous when taken following the directions outlined both on the packaging, and following the misuse of drugs admendment bill. Taking an 'unknown quantity' of anything is dangerous. mixing it with alcohol is even more so, and the possibility that other drugs were also added to the cocktail is asking for trouble.
Serra

http://www.stuff.co.nz/3963164a4621.html

[Thirdedge]

5:00AM Friday February 16, 2007
By Jarrod Booker

A "cocktail" of drugs, rather than just party pills, may be the reason a Greymouth man collapsed at a dance rave at the weekend, police say.

Ben Rodden is fighting for his life in the intensive care unit of Christchurch Hospital after collapsing while working as a DJ at the Regent Theatre in Greymouth early on Sunday.

He was shaking uncontrollably, had trouble breathing and his temperature was skyrocketing when his friends flagged down a passing police car and took him to Greymouth Hospital.

The 23-year-old was transferred to Christchurch and placed in an induced coma to keep him still and control bleeding in his liver and kidneys.

A Christchurch Hospital spokeswoman said yesterday that Mr Rodden was still listed as "seriously ill".

Mr Rodden's parents said their son had taken party pills to stay awake during the dance rave and had drunk a small amount of beer. They called for the Government to ban party drugs immediately.

However, Mr Rodden's friends have told police he had taken an illegal class-C drug as well as alcohol and "herbal high" party pills.

A police spokesman said: "Friends accompanying Rodden said he had taken a [class-C] drug during the night and that it wasn't the first time he'd done this.

"He was also an asthmatic. It looks like the herbal highs were just part of the cocktail."

Police were monitoring Mr Rodden's condition and were awaiting results from toxicology tests done at Greymouth Hospital.

If other illegal drugs were found to be involved, they would investigate.

Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/author/sto...ectid=10424253

[~lostgurl~]

Yeah right, ecstasy being sold at BZP prices, not a chance in hell that this happening.
BZP in ecstasy pills, at ecstasy prices maybe, but if the pills are being sold as BZP, noone would be paying ecstasy prices for them. Where does the media get this crap?
............

BZP pills found to have illegal elements

Stuff.co.nz
Monday 19th February 2006

Party pills marketed as being legal have been found with illegal drugs in them, police say.

Police national crime manager Detective Superintendent Win van der Velde said recent tests found that some pills which contained BZP, which is currently legal, also contained drugs such as MDMA or ecstasy which is illegal.

"There is now scientific evidence that the line between illicit drugs and what are deemed as `legal party pills' is becoming increasingly blurred," Mr van der Velde said.
He said other pills sold on the black market as ecstasy had also been found to contain other illegal substances.
Anyone buying these pills should realise they were taking risks with their health, he said.

"There have been recent cases where people have been known to take `party pills' without having any idea of the origins of the pill or ingredients, and, as a consequence, have suffered severe illness."
These included a man who died after allegedly taking "unknown pills" in Levin last week, and a Greymouth man on life support in Christchurch Hospital.

"Those responsible for distributing these types of drugs are breaking the law and could receive heavy penalties if caught and charged in court," Mr van der Velde said.

Police spokesman Jon Neilson said the BZP pills mentioned as having illegal elements weren't necessarily those sold over the counter as legitimate.
"We're just saying that these types of pills are out there and people should check what they're taking."

A December report from the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs said BZP-based party pills should be put under the same C drug classification as cannabis.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/3967428a10.html

[Mona Lisa]

A friend of a friend told me that some NZ suppliers of piperazine powders have now started to frequently add free largish amounts of BZP powder with its orders, which would further suggest that a ban in NZ is imminent. It would appear that they're trying to get rid of surplus stock.

[Pneumonoultramicroscopi]

Originally Posted by Thirdedge

5:00AM Friday February 16, 2007
By Jarrod Booker

A "cocktail" of drugs, rather than just party pills, may be the reason a Greymouth man collapsed at a dance rave at the weekend, police say.

Ben Rodden is fighting for his life in the intensive care unit of Christchurch Hospital after collapsing while working as a DJ at the Regent Theatre in Greymouth early on Sunday.

He was shaking uncontrollably, had trouble breathing and his temperature was skyrocketing when his friends flagged down a passing police car and took him to Greymouth Hospital.

The 23-year-old was transferred to Christchurch and placed in an induced coma to keep him still and control bleeding in his liver and kidneys.

A Christchurch Hospital spokeswoman said yesterday that Mr Rodden was still listed as "seriously ill".

Mr Rodden's parents said their son had taken party pills to stay awake during the dance rave and had drunk a small amount of beer. They called for the Government to ban party drugs immediately.

However, Mr Rodden's friends have told police he had taken an illegal class-C drug as well as alcohol and "herbal high" party pills.

A police spokesman said: "Friends accompanying Rodden said he had taken a [class-C] drug during the night and that it wasn't the first time he'd done this.

"He was also an asthmatic. It looks like the herbal highs were just part of the cocktail."

Police were monitoring Mr Rodden's condition and were awaiting results from toxicology tests done at Greymouth Hospital.

If other illegal drugs were found to be involved, they would investigate.

Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/author/sto...ectid=10424253

hahahahaha! i know him, thats my mate mullet! it wasnt party pills that he went over on either, he took too many E's, had nothing at all to do with bzp, hahahah yeah thats what his mum told the media

[thekakaman]

If you are interested in party pills and would like to keep them legal but regulated go to this site http://www.savethepills.com/. It's a New Zealand site.
Well worth supporting this submission especially as a alternative to harder drugs

[Mona Lisa]

Thanks, has already been done

[waxhorse]

So...I was in this terribly remote Washington state area and listening to Paul Harvey news...It's one of my guilty pleasures. The voice of the man reminds me of riding around in the car as a kid in my single digets. (My Ma used to listen to this guy often.)

And here comes a very basic report about New Zealand and Party Pills! He gave the stats of pills sold and such and said that there had been no deaths attributed to it.

He compared them to bungee jumping excepting there had been no fatalities!

I'm not going to say that it was a completely favorable report, but it wasn't dragged thru the mud either! I was actually quite suprised.

http://www.paulharvey.com/

WH

[Alfa]

You might as well note which feed on that site people have to chose if they want to listen to that broadcast.

[~lostgurl~]

There are a few video clips in the file archive too. File Archive > Show > Whats New
http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/loc...h.php?catid=-8

[~lostgurl~]

Party-pill demand slumps

Friday, 09 Mar 2007
Stuff News

Demand for legal party pills is drying up as users get sick of the side effects, retailers say.

The popularity of the pills was declining dramatically, Queenstown and Wanaka bar and off-licence owner Al Spary said at a public meeting this week.

"Sales of them are heading south at a very steep rate. Regardless of what Government does, the demand has dried up for it by the public. I wouldn't have thought they will even be an issue in the next year or two."

The Government is considering banning the sale of products containing benzylpiperazine (BZP), the stimulant found in most legal party pills which is also used as a cattle drench.

Play It Again music store manager Kenny Frisby said he was experiencing the same trend at the Queenstown and Invercargill stores he managed.
Most people were over taking the pills and the hangover-like headaches they caused, he said.

"It was all very cool at the time to have something reasonably cheap and legal that you could get a bit of a high from but it costs the next day," Frisby said.

The shop had been selling party pills since 2001. They peaked in popularity in 2004, but sales dropped by 20 per cent in 2005 and by another 50% last year.

"Dropping at that rate, none of us care if they do get banned. There's definitely no money in them," he said.

But while interest from New Zealanders had waned, international visitors were intrigued by the products and continued to buy them, Frisby said.

Social Tonics Association of New Zealand (Stanz) chairman Matt Bowden said nationwide sales of party pills appeared to have peaked in the past year.

"Whenever there's something new in society a lot of people want to try it out. After that happens it settles down into normal usage."

There had also been a decrease in party pill users going to hospital emergency departments.

Bowden attributed that to people becoming better educated and understanding the limits of what they should take.

The owner of Queenstown's only specialist party pill retailer, Brent Adamson, said his sales were similar to last year.

His shop had retained sales because specialist staff were able to offer appropriate products after talking to customers and it manufactured its own products, he said.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/3986354a7144.html