KEY POINTS:
Jason Bishop uses party pills to smooth the path of human friendship.
"You get more of an empathetic feeling towards your fellow people," said the 28-year-old Auckland truck driver. "It just elevates the mood."
He swallows the pills, which contain BZP, once a fortnight, taking two or three in a night out.
The only bad effects he has experienced are mild insomnia when taking party pills "too close together" and feeling unwell after drinking at the same time.
"I have used them with alcohol. I have had some cracking hangovers and have learned from it.
"I wouldn't say no to a few beers but the good thing with herbals is being able to go up town and drive your vehicle and still drive home."
He opposes banning the pills.
"I think it's a hysterical, knee-jerk reaction. I can't see justifiable reasons why they should take them off the market when perhaps they should look at the family violence that alcohol creates."
University student Mahoney - he wanted only his first name used - gave up taking party pills after a bad reaction.
"I threw up a little bit of blood and I had only taken the prescribed amount."
The 29-year-old admitted to being frightened by the experience but he, too, opposed a ban, urging tighter controls on sales instead.
"You might as well ban alcohol as well because it has the same effects - headaches, makes you throw up."
The pills can be sold legally only to those 18 and over. Prices and strengths vary.
One central Auckland shop offers packs of six pills for $35. Another sells packs of six Velvet pills, each containing 90mg of BZP, for $15.
The Velvet packet warns of insomnia and increased heart rate and says: "Do not mix Velvet with alcohol."
