MPs vote to advance ban on party pills

The banning of party pills has come a step closer.

A bill outlawing possession of pills containing benzylpiperazine (BZP) has been referred back to Parliament with a majority of health committee members recommending that it be passed.

Only Green Party and Maori Party members on the committee disagreed, saying party pills should be regulated rather than prohibited.

The Misuse of Drugs (Classification of BZP) Amendment Bill will classify party pills as C1 drugs, the same as cannabis. It will be illegal to possess, use, sell, supply, import or manufacture BZP.

If the bill is passed in its present form there will be a six-month amnesty for possession of up to five grams or 100 tablets for personal use. Then BZP will become illegal. Under the Misuse of Drugs Act people possessing C1 drugs can be jailed for three months, fined up to $500, or both.

The bill was presented by Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton on the recommendation of the Health Ministry-appointed expert advisory committee on drugs. It said recent studies showed BZP was harmful and could cause fatal seizures.

Matt Bowden, chairman of the Social Tonics Association party pill industry group, said the health select committee process was a farce and if the bill was passed people were likely to use more dangerous drugs.

It was a political exercise so politicians could say they were tough on drugs, he said. "Tobacco killed 5000 Kiwis last year, alcohol killed 1000 Kiwis last year, party pills have killed zero Kiwis in the past seven years. Which one are we banning and why?"

- © Fairfax NZ News