Party Pills
31 March 2008 | Drug Foundation urges moratorium and independent analysis of new party pills
On the eve of the BZP party pill ban, the New Zealand Drug Foundation has called for a voluntary moratorium on sales of all new non-BZP party pills until an independent analysis has been carried out to determine their risk.
19 March 2008 | Drug Foundation cautions ‘careful’ party pill use and no stockpiling as Easter approaches
The Drug Foundation is cautioning users on ‘careful’ use of party pills containing benzylpiperazine (BZP) as Easter approaches, and Parliament this week passed a Bill making BZP-based party pills illegal from 1 April.
Misuse of Drugs (Classification of BZP) Amendment Bill (Submission)
This submission sets out what we believe can reasonably be concluded from current evidence about BZP and its harms, then analyses the potential impacts of the Bill. In developing this submission, we have consulted with a number of people and organisations within the alcohol and drug sector. We have also reviewed research findings on BZP. Our comments are influenced by the Drug Foundation’s guiding principles, including evidence based best practice and policy, and harm minimisation.
22 August 2007 | Party pill ban bill introduced
Associate Minister of Health and Leader of the Progressive Party Jim Anderton has announced the introduction of the Misuse of Drugs (Classification of BZP) Amendment Bill to in the House today.
Reclassification of bzp (Submission)
In 2004 Mr Anderton asked the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs (EACD) to review recent New Zealand research on benzylpiperazine (BZP), the main ingredient in most party pills. The official EACD report was released by Mr Anderton on 20 December 2006. It recommended BZP be classified as C1 under the Misuse of Drugs Act alongside drugs such as cannabis. It is illegal to possess or sell Class C drugs.
National drug policy
The National Drug Policy (NDP) aims to improve the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders by encouraging the development of strategies and programmes which prevent and reduce drug-related harm.The NDP is in line with World Health Organization and United Nations recommendations of a balanced approach to drug policy.Progress under the NDP is reviewed twice yearly by the Ministerial Committee on Drug Policy (MCDP). Initiatives are progressed and monitored by a group of Government agencies that make up the Inter-Agency Committee on Drugs (IACD).
Health Select Committee report on Misuse of Drugs Act May 2005
Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill (No 3) (186-2) and Supplementary Order Paper 298 (23 May 2005)The bill as introduced amends two main areas of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 (the principal Act) and the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Act 1978 (the amendment Act). The bill allows presumption of supply matters to be amended by Order in Council, subject to an affirmative resolution procedure. It also amends the presumption of supply quantity for methamphetamine, and adds a Ministry of Justice official to the membership of the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs.
Inter-Agency Committee on Drugs (IACD)
A monitoring group of officials, the IACD ensures that policies and programmes developed by government agencies are consistent and mutually supportive. The IACD also makes recommendations to the MCDP on new policy initiatives.
