WORRY GROWS OVER PARTY PILL INDUSTRY

The Influence of Party Pills on Christchurch's Young People Has
Prompted Fresh Concerns in a City Suburb.

A public meeting was held in Linwood, Christchurch, last night amid
growing concern about the impact of the legal drugs.

Meeting organiser Cheryl Mitchell said the pills were becoming a
serious problem in Christchurch.

She wanted to raise awareness about the issue in the community.

Mitchell said the pills were readily available to young people,
admitting that even her daughter had tried them.

"They are being passed around through the high schools, and these
pills have a lot of bad effects on kids."

Party pills contain benzylpiperazine (BZP) and are often promoted as
"herbal highs".

The New Zealand Medical Association lists serious side-effects of
BZP-based pills as severe agitation, seizures, paranoia, abdominal
pain and abnormal heart rhythms.

Mitchell said she was shocked that party-pill shops were using
advertising which might appeal to children.

"One (shop) has Mickey Mouse on its windows. Kids are going to take
notice of these things."

Mitchell hoped that grassroots action would encourage the Government
to take action on the issue.

"We want the Government to take this issue seriously and ban party
pills completely."

Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton said party pills would remain
legal to those over 18 until the appropriate research had been completed.

"Four research projects will report back to me by the end of this
year and then a decision will be made."

He emphasised that it was illegal to advertise party pills in
broadcast or print media, but conceded that "people will always try
to get around these things".

Anderton was "amazed" that people would want to get their kicks off a
substance which was essentially cattle drench.

"Maybe if we make people advertise 'come and get your cattle drench
here' they wouldn't be so keen."

Emergency medicine specialist Dr Paul Gee said there were two sides
to the issue of selling party pills in New Zealand.

He was concerned about an emerging culture where it was normal to
take pills at parties and other social situations.

"But they have sold millions and millions of pills, and I am unaware
of a single death directly related to them here."

Gee said that the emergency services were seeing fewer patients with
party pill-related complaints.

He believed that people were starting to use the pills more
responsibly. "Also, people who wanted to try them have tried them and
the big excitement has died down."

The momentum in the industry would make it difficult for the
Government to ban party pills, he said.