PARTY PILLS CAN HELP SAVE LIVES

With party pills under renewed scrutiny, including talk of a ban,
Matt Bowden argues that they are providing safer, legal alternatives
to addictive and harmful illegal drugs.

Over the last five to six years about 20 million legal party pills
have been sold in New Zealand. This represents 20 million times that
mostly young New Zealanders have chosen a safer, legal alternative to
dangerous, illegal drugs like P, methamphetamine.

We have all seen the tragic costs of the use of illegal and highly
addictive drugs like P - untold high profile murders, maimings,
robberies, overdoses and suicides.

I first created and introduced BZP- based party pills into New
Zealand towards the end of the 1990s following the ecstasy-related
death of a member of my own family. I was committed to finding a
safer, legal alternative to dangerous drugs that kill people, and
party pills have been successful in achieving this.

There have been no instances in New Zealand of party pills causing
any lasting harm, and there have been reports that police officers
have linked a declining demand for the drug ecstasy as a result of
the pills' increased availability.

Although some people may feel uncomfortable about the recent
availability of party pills, I believe party pills have saved lives
that would otherwise have been lost through the use of drugs like
methamphetamine and ecstasy.

Party pills can continue to help minimise drug-related harm in, but I
also acknowledge that these products need to be better controlled.

Last year most of the party-pill industry joined in convincing the
Government to begin regulating the industry. Most importantly, an
18-year age limit was introduced, as well as some labelling and
marketing restrictions.

This was a good start to properly control party pills but, with some
simple legislative amendments, they could be much more effectively
controlled and, as a result, safer.

A lot of the recent concern that has surrounded party pills is well
founded. In Christchurch, in particular, one or two rogue operators
are producing party pills with excessive levels of BZP of about 500mg a pill.

The vast majority of the party-pill industry belongs to the industry
association, the Social Tonics Association (Stanz), which has a
voluntary code of practice limiting BZP levels to 200mg a pill.

We are calling on the Government to finish the job it has started and
to introduce a limit on BZP levels per pill of 200mg. This is
common-sense policy which would further protect people who choose to
use party pills, and remove many of the problems centered on Christchurch.

I believe there would be widespread political support for these
further regulations and I would like to see the Government take this
step urgently..

Although we want more controls, it is important to keep BZP and party
pills in context. One form of BZP is used in a heart-surgery
medicine, and people have been taking piperazines for years.

It has been widely used around the world for decades and there has
not been a single case of a BZP death anywhere in the world. By any
standards, BZP has proved to be a remarkably safe substance, as
evidenced by it being legal in most countries.

The Government is to be applauded for committing to an evidence-based
approach to policy on party pills.

As a community we all need to put aside our prejudices (and plenty of
hypocrisies) regarding people choosing to take substances that alter
the way they feel. Every human culture since the beginning of time
has done this, and will inevitably continue to do so.

The challenge we all face is to make doing so as safe as we can.
Party pills have already demonstrated they can provide a safer
alternative to dangerous drugs.

Properly controlled through more sensible government policy, party
pills can be even safer and can continue to save lives.

Matt Bowden represents Stanz, www.stargate.org.nz.