UNIVERSITY BEGINS STUDY INTO PARTY PILLS

Researchers have begun investigating the effects "party pills" have
on the human body - the first in-depth controlled research into their
effects in the country.

Researchers at University of Auckland's school of pharmacy started
studies which will test volunteers' memory and neurological function
after they have taken benzylpiperazine (BZP) and
trifluromethylphenylpiperazine (TFMPP) - the main components of party pills.

The studies come at a time when conservative estimates from 2005
suggested approximately 150,000 doses of the pills are sold
throughout the country from corner dairies, liquor shops and online.

Research by the Ministry of Health on party pills this month found as
many as one in five New Zealanders had tried party pills and 15 per
cent had used them over the past year.

Use was greatest among 18 to 24-year-olds with up to 38 per cent
saying they had taken them over the past year.

Co-ordinator of the research Dr Bruce Russell said no controlled
experiments have been published, although in the 1970s BZP was used
in two controlled studies.

There are no available controlled trials describing the effects that
TFMPP has on people.

The studies will involve recruiting volunteers to perform tasks both
before and after taking either BZP and/or TFMPP.

The volunteers' responses would be compared with those of the normal
brain to identify those areas affected by the drugs.

Party pills contain either BZP and/or TFMPP (amphetamine-like
substances) along with herbal stimulants such as guarana (caffeine)
and black pepper.

In 2004 the NZ Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs concluded that
there was insufficient information available to classify either
substance within the Misuse of Drugs Act.

"The majority of the effects that BZP and TFMPP have on the human
body are largely unknown," the committee said.

The research would look closely at the pharmacological effects the
drugs have on the brain and their metabolism to provide detailed
information about exactly what effects they do have and how long they
last, he said. "We are hoping that this research and further studies
that we have planned, will allow people to make an informed decision
about the use of BZP and TFMPP in the future."