KEY POINTS:
Nothing stands still for long in the party pills business. In six years, it has made deep inroads into the community. One study says one in five people between 13 and 45 has tried them, and about 15 per cent of people in that age group used them in the past year. The political repercussions have also gathered pace. A year and a half ago, Parliament restricted the sale of party pills to those aged over 18. Now, the Government is being advised to follow the lead of the United States and Australia and outlaw them.
The suggestion comes from the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs, which has studied research on the danger of party pills containing benzylpiperazine (BZP). Previously, it has resisted recommending a ban. Now it says that, although there is no evidence of any deaths from the pills, BZP-related seizures, even at relatively low doses, could prove fatal. That potential was increased by the pills' frequent use with other substances, such as alcohol, and in high doses.
The committee's advice, which tallies with that of many in the medical profession and the police, is to give party pills a similar classification to cannabis, making it illegal to sell, buy or possess them. It rejects tighter restrictions on the pills under misuse of drugs legislation because this would require "a significant administrative and enforcement capacity", as for the likes of tobacco and alcohol.
The committee concedes there is no guarantee a ban would lead to a decrease in the use and availability of party pills. But it cites an encouraging experience with Fantasy. And it suggests that the side-effects of party pills, such as insomnia, headaches and nausea, make them unlikely to be a drug that people would seek if they were less available, more expensive and carried the risk of a fine or imprisonment.
That is an optimistic perspective, owing more to principle than practice. Many committees have had to decide what to do about substances that pose a risk of harm but are in popular demand. A strong sense of morality, perhaps reinforced by observation of the impact of the drug, has led some to opt for a ban. That is most likely to drive trade in the substance underground, making it more dangerous and much more difficult to control. Already, there have been warnings from the party-pill industry that a ban would hand the trade to gangs.
The committee's confidence might be more justified if party pills were used by only a limited number of people, or there were easily obtained substitutes. But a Massey University study found they had been tried by nearly half of males aged 20 to 24. That is not a group known for revering strictures of the law. Equally, there is no alternative legal option - only far more dangerous mood-enhancers such as Ecstasy and methamphetamine.
A more sensible course would be tighter regulation of party pills' manufacture and sale, including controls on the amount of BZP in each pill. Pill doses that are higher than recommended are a significant cause of potential harm. Aside from greater quality control, there should be stricter advertising restrictions and a ban on the pills being sold in shops that sell alcohol. At the very least, this would make the pills safer, pending more definitive research on the long-term consequences of BZP use.
Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton is promising to conclude consultation on the issue by March. Then a Cabinet committee will decide whether to accept the advisory group's advice. The temptation will be to ban the pills. It should be resisted. A black market is afflicted by many more problems than is one that is tightly and effectively controlled.
