IMPORTER TO TAKE DRUG OFF WEB SITE

The Timaru importer of the fantasy-like drug Puritech has bowed to
public pressure and agreed to stop advertising the One4B solution on
the company's web site.

However, Alphaware NZ director James McNee said yesterday he would
continue to sell Puritech, which is marketed as a CD and cassette
cleaner, at least until existing supplies dried up later this year.

Mr McNee (27) said the decision to withdraw Puritech from the web
site was prompted by the latest public reaction to an incident
involving a Dunedin teenager and the chemical.

On Sunday, the 18-year-old was found by family unconscious in his
bedroom. The previous night, he had drunk Puritech after purchasing
it from Alphaware via the Internet.

His father, who spoke to the Otago Daily Times on Tuesday, was
furious about the incident, labelling Mr McNee criminally
irresponsible and lacking in moral fibre for selling the chemical.

Mr McNee confirmed he had been contacted by the father and given an "earful".

That and ongoing public criticism had led to the decision to remove
the product from the web site within the next week.

"I just can't be bothered with it. I don't think it's going to be any
advantage to us, whether we leave it on the web site or not.

"We've had our peak; I don't think we're going to get any more new
customers. People who are going to buy it from us will probably
continue to keep buying it anyway."

When contacted for comment last night, the father of the Dunedin
teenager said the company's move was "a start".

He still intended discussing the issue with the Commerce Commission
to see if Mr McNee was breaching regulations in the way he marketed
the chemical.

Mr McNee believed ongoing controversy over the chemical, which began
earlier this year with the death of an Auckland man, could ultimately
lead to it being banned.

"We'll move away from that product for a while. If it stays legal,
and I think it should, we'll carry on selling it."

Until the controversy, Alphaware had come under little scrutiny, with
only about 40 people in New Zealand buying it.

The media had "blown it up" and made it an "epidemic", he said.

"They've basically said it's legal, it makes you high and this is
where to get it. That's a recipe for disaster in my eyes."

Mr McNee conceded Puritech was dangerous in the wrong hands, but
stopped short of saying people should not use the chemical.

"Personally, my view is it is actually a quite safe non-toxic
chemical, if you know what you are doing with it.

"It is very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. I wouldn't
recommend someone goes out and buys it just to try it."

The Dunedin teenager's father was particularly critical of a lack of
warning labels with the chemical, and no reference to dosage.

Mr McNee said there was no dosage listed because officially "we don't
sell it for human consumption. We've just been marketing it as a CD
cleaner for a couple of years".

However, he said the web site, which claims to be a supplier of legal
highs, contained further information about 1,4 butanediol, its normal
dosage and affects. He believed there was enough publicity "out
there" about the drug to warn people of its dangers.

The chemical is imported from Australia, with Alphaware having
brought "several thousand litres" into New Zealand. He estimates
about 30 to 40% of sales were sold solely for use as a cleaner.

Mr McNee said he initially began importing Puritech to "procure my own supply".