TEENS PASS OUT ON PILLS

Palmerston North teens as young as 14 are buying party pills and
guzzling them in who-passes-out-first competitions.

The Government's move to make the previously R18 pills an illegal
class C drug, like cannabis, from April 1 was warmly approved by
Palmerston North Street Van co-ordinator and drug rehabilitation
worker Lew Findlay.

"I think they've finally done something good here," he
said.

Party pills, mixed with alcohol or cannabis, could be lethal. The High
Court at Palmerston North heard this month that 20-year-old Ashley
Arnopp had consumed a toxic mix of all three before the murder of
Stanley Waipouri in 2006. Arnopp went to jail for 15 years, convicted
of murder.

Restricting sales to people over 18 had not worked. Mr Findlay knew of
14-year-old regular users, and said 16- and 17-year-olds parked up by
the Centennial Lagoon and held competitions to see who could take the
most before passing out.

Sometimes P addicts tried to used party pills to get themselves off
the harder drug. It didn't work. They suffered shattering headaches
and health side effects.

"Party pills, BZP [benzylpiperazine], they're basically cattle drench,
to stop worms. The kids who take them might as well squirt drench down
their throats," Mr Findlay said. "The kids trying to get off them tell
me it's a very limited, very little high, compared to the deep low
that follows it."

He wasn't happy that pill users had been given a six-month amnesty to
work through personal supplies. He predicted big sales of pills in the
next couple of weeks. "I can name 10 places in Palmy where you can
just walk in and get them."

Making the pills illegal might help stop young people experimenting
with them. There were teens who wouldn't go the illegal substance
route, he said.

Meanwhile, NZPA reports the ban on party pills is likely to make way
for the introduction of a new range of pills with a different formula.
Those pills were expected to be available for distribution soon. Sales
of the remaining BZP-based pills are expected to be frantic as
retailers get rid of the stock and users stock up.