NZ Goverment bans Partypills

[~lostgurl~]

Ban sparks party pill buying frenzy

15 March 2008
NZ City News

The Government's ban on party pills has sparked a frenzy of sales of remaining stock.

Parliament voted 109 votes to 11 to make it illegal to possess, supply, or manufacture products containing BZP, the key ingredient in party pills. The ban comes into force next month.

Wellington party pill retailer Rustin Nahulandran says he sold out within minutes of the new law being passed. He plans to replace the banned pills with other varieties and expects them to be just as popular. He says the feeling people get when they take party pills will not go away just because some are banned. He believes people will be keen to try alternatives to see what they are like.

Mr Nahulandran expects the new pills will sell for about $20 each.

http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/articl...878&fm=psp,nwl

Reputation Comments on this post:

Thanks for your latest posts in this thread.

[aionsan]

Someone should remind them that prohibition never worked and always made things worse.

Oh, duh. "Government".

[trptamene]

The OP states:

Originally Posted by Thirdedge

Decision On Party Pills Should Be Easy
Wednesday, 13 December 2006, 10:45 am
Press Release: New Zealand First Party
13 December 2006

It is now
Monday, 17 March 2008 7:30 PM

So this took at the minimum 1 year, 3 months and 4 days.

How easy did NZ make it for them? I'm not familiar with politics & the drug war in the NZ. Would this be considered easy for the NZ government?

[~lostgurl~]

Those backing BZP seriously misguided

14 March 2008
Press Release: New Zealand Government

Those backing the continued sale of BZP did not have the best interest of New Zealand at heart, Associate Health Minister and Progressive Party leader Jim Anderton said today. Jim Anderton said the decision to legislate against BZP-based party pills was taken after recommendations by the Experts Advisory Committee on Drugs to do so. “It’s not me being a killjoy and inflicting my choices on the country. This is the determination of expert toxicologists, doctors, and other specialists who see this drug as a real danger, particularly to our young people. Why do some people want others to die before we do anything?”

As for the argument that classification of drugs did nothing to affect supply and consumption, that was not borne out by the evidence, Jim Anderton said. “GHB or fantasy was classified from June 2002, and now its use has dropped from 0.8 per cent of the population aged 15 to 45 years to 0.3 per cent. The number of overdoses of GHB cases at Auckland Hospital dropped from 163 people in 2002 to 85 in 2004. “Classification stopped a significant increase in use as it came into place shortly after a number of businesses started to really market GHB. It is likely that the casual users who were beginning to use it in 2001/02 are not now using as it is not easy to get hold of as it was prior to classification.

“Indeed, a large number of BZP users have noted in various surveys that one of the main attractions of BZP use to them is that it is legal, cheap and easily accessible. Expert advice I have received is that BZP is not a 'good value' drug, that is, it is its ease of access and low price that is its attraction, not its effectiveness as a drug. For that reason, a large number of people are not likely to continue to seek it once it is harder to get.”

Jim Anderton said he was disappointed the Green Party continued to vote against the bill. “This is a party that wants to ban pies and CocaCola from schools, and yet is willing to allow harmful drugs to be readily available.”

He said that the move to ban BZP-based party pills had been a long time coming, because of the legislative process, and businesses dealing in those pills know all about the deadlines to the end of manufacture and sale which they would need to meet. “The umbrella marketing organisation for BZP party pill sellers has acted responsibly, and has told my office that BZP-based party pills will be removed from distribution from Thursday next week (March 20). “My officials have been working with them to ensure that they are informed every step of the way. In fact, I have communications from the industry thanking me for making the process so smooth. Complaints in the House about short notice are completely out of touch.”

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0803/S00266.htm

[Alfa]

Originally Posted by trptamene

So this took at the minimum 1 year, 3 months and 4 days.

How easy did NZ make it for them? I'm not familiar with politics & the drug war in the NZ. Would this be considered easy for the NZ government?

NZ should be a show case we can all learn from. In regard to the effect that PR, media pressure and lobby has on politics.
Compare this to the way magic mushrooms where outlawed in UK, Ireland and recently Holland due to bad PR, media pressure and lobby from anti-drug groups.

[0utrider]

A party pill retailer is predicting we will see a return to people using harder drugs when the BZP party pill ban kicks in.
Retailers have to clear their stocks today before a ban on selling the pills takes effect - although pill poppers have a six month amnesty period to use them up.
Shop owners say they have been rushed off their feet over the weekend, and the manager of Auckland's Hemp Store, Chris Fowlie, wonders what pill poppers will turn-to once BZP pills have gone.

http://www.tv3.co.nz/News/Story/tabi...1/Default.aspx

[Orchid_Suspiria]

I doubt this is true,most people that use "harder"drugs were already using them and could care less about bzp.And how does one define "harder"drugs?From what I've heard about the sideeffects bzp can cause it isn't exactly a soft drug.

[trptamene]

What exactly is covered by the ban? Is it broadly defined as "piperazines"?

[Alfa]

Please post the exact text of the ban.

[~lostgurl~]

BZP, phenylpiperazine and related substances be classified as Class C1 controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.

http://www.ndp.govt.nz/moh.nsf/index...s-publichealth

[Alfa]

Useful info, but does not include the text of the law / ban:

[top]Party Pills

[top]Public Health Initiatives and Regulation

Information relating to the review and potential classification of benzylpiperazine (BZP) and related substances.

Letter to the Associate Minister of Health (Hon Jim Anderton) from the EACD (PDF, 43 KB) (May 2007)

This letter is official advice from the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs to the Minister reaffirming their position after their meeting in May 2007.

Analysis of Submissions: Proposal to Classify BZP and Related Substances as Class C Controlled Drugs (Apr 2007)

This report comprises a detailed database summarising key points made by submitters, alongside summaries of research papers provided with submissions. The report also provides a brief overview of the submissions, pulling out key themes and views and, where they exist, presenting commonalities within and between different groups of agencies and individuals.

Letter from Associate Minister of Health on Consultation Process (PDF, 11 KB)(Jan 2007)

This letter advises the consultation process to be undertaken following the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs' (EACD) recommendation to classify BZP, phenylpiperazine and related substances under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. Please note this consultation process has been extended until 23 March 2007.

Frequently Asked Questions about BZP (Dec 2006)

These about BZP were released by Associate Minister of Health (Hon Jim Anderton) on 20 December 2006 to assist interested parties in providing a submission relating to the potential classification of BZP, phenylpiperazines and related substances.

EACD Advice to the Associate Minister of Health on Benzylpiperazine (BZP) and Related Substances (PDF, 32 KB)(Dec 2006)

This letter includes the background to recommendations by the EACD that BZP, phenylpiperazine and related substances be classified as Class C1 controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.

The Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs (EACD) Advice to the Minister on Benzylpiperazine (BZP) (PDF, 134 KB)(Apr 2004)

This paper presents evidence on the risk of harm associated with Benzylpiperazine (BZP) and similar substances. They are stimulant type substances that produce effects similar to known amphetamines and hallucinogens.

[~lostgurl~]

Also from the same site:

Schedule Three / Class C:

• up to 8 years imprisonment for importation, manufacture or supply
• up to 7 years imprisonment for conspiracy to commit an offence
• up to three months imprisonment or $500 fine or both for possession.

[Paracelsus]

HTML: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/p...LM1152221.html
PDF: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/p...ed8019e734.pdf

BZP, TFMPP, pFPP, MeOPP, mCPP, and MBZP (plus the salts, isomers, ethers & esters thereof) were added.

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Thank you.