MIXED VIEWS ON PARTY PILL BAN

A possible ban on party pills has drawn mixed reactions from central
Auckland shopkeepers.

Many dairy owners say they have never stocked them for fear of the
sort of customers they would attract.

But in liquor shops the pills sell well, and in adult shops they are
a key product.

The pills, containing benzylpiperazine, or BZP, are usually sold in
small plastic cylinders.

They are legally available throughout New Zealand but the government
is considering banning them.

John Frew, an owner of Erox adult shops with branches on Mt Eden and
Karangahape roads, says that would seriously affect his business.

"What we're pushing for is standards in the manufacture of the pills
and the amount of BZP, and for outlets to be restricted."

Mr Frew says small backyard outlets have ruined the market with pills
containing too much BZP.

At 7-Eleven on Karangahape Rd a Save the Pills petition has drawn
five pages of signatures.

"We do sell a lot but our business won't die if they are banned,"
shopkeeper Camila Berg says.

Vanisa Sodhi, of Dominion Wines and Spirits on Dominion Rd, says her
shop sells a lot too.

But the products are not so popular in Mt Eden village.

Reddy Kusu, of Eden Convenience, says a ban wouldn't affect him.

"There was one customer but I think he moved away," he says.

Esplanade Food Market on Mt Eden Rd has never stocked party pills.

"We don't sell them because sometimes underage people ask for them or
they have some kind of problem," shopkeeper Dinesh Mistri says.

Christine Kalin, of Odyssey House drug rehabilitation centre in Mt
Eden, says party pills don't feature as a reason for treatment.

"For young people who come in, the primary drugs of misuse are
alcohol and cannabis," she says.

BZP-based products are banned in the United States and Australia.

The substance is restricted in New Zealand but the government's
expert advisory committee on drugs thinks it should be a controlled
class C drug like cannabis.

In a letter to associate health minister Jim Anderton, the committee
says common bad effects include insomnia, headaches, flushes, nausea
and vomiting.

The side effects suggest people are unlikely to seek BZP if it is
"less available, more expensive, and carries risks associated with
illicit status", the letter says.

Mr Frew says a ban would make party pill users look for illegal
alternatives such as ecstasy.

Consultation between Mr Anderton, party pill manufacturers, retailers
and researchers ends on Friday.