KEY POINTS:
Two political parties are putting pressure on the Government to ban party pills.
National and New Zealand First want Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton to made a decision, and say he has had long enough to consider the situation.
Mr Anderton, who is in charge of the Government's drugs policy, said yesterday he needed more time to study expert advice before taking any steps to ban party pills.
The question is whether pills containing benzylpiperazine (BZP) should be banned.
At present they can be legally purchased by people over 18, but critics say pill doses are often far higher than recommended and lead to serious harm.
National's associate health spokeswoman, Jacqui Dean, said Mr Anderton was dragging his heels.
"The minister has already received expert information on the issue yet he refuses to act," she said.
"With the party season approaching, Mr Anderton's inaction can only mean trouble."
NZ First's health spokeswoman Barbara Stewart said her party had always believed the pills were dangerous and should be banned.
"Teenagers in this country already have more than enough access to mood altering substances," she said.
"They don't need party pills as well -- especially since no reputable research has been carried out into their safety and the long-term effects are unknown."
Ms Stewart said emergency department doctors had reported patients with symptoms such as anxiety, panic attacks, elevated heart rates, hallucinations, headaches, vomiting and even convulsions from pills which were presumed safe because they were legally available.
Earlier this year a Ministry of Health survey found one in five New Zealanders had tried party pills.
At the time, emergency medicine specialist Paul Gee told NZPA there was "more than enough" evidence that a ban was needed.
Dr Gee said some people using the pills suffered serious problems including life-threatening seizures and even psychiatric illnesses.
- NZPA
