 | NORML News: Misuse of Drugs Act to be reviewed |
 ANDERTON PUSHES FOR PARTY PILL BAN
NORML News, Winter 2007. By Will de Cleene
The possession, sale, distribution and
supply of party pills will be as illegal
as cannabis by the end of this year. So said
Associate Minister of Health Jim Anderton on
June 28, when he announced plans to reclassify
benzylpiperazine as a Class C1 drug.
But the news may not be all bad. After thirty
years of failure, the Misuse of Drugs Act could
be in for a complete re-write.
The market for BZP products has been
entrenched, with over 20 million pills popped
since 2000. Lacking a single death attributable
to BZP has failed to prevent the substance
being banned. Alcohol and tobacco, which
Anderton admits causes far greater harm than
party pills, remain legal.
It is unclear whether other avenues of harm
minimisation were explored. Excise tax,
supplier licensing or even better enforcement
of the current laws seem to have been excluded
from consideration. The statement from the
Minister’s office does admit, “It is possible
that some illegal trade could occur once these
pills are classified.”
Demand for the pills appears to have increased
since the announcement. Party pill suppliers
are already rolling out BZP-free alternatives.
Media commentator Russell Brown foresees
other consequences of the BZP ban: “The
stockpiling may encourage overdose. I don’t
expect a long-term black market in BZP - it’s
just not that good - but I would expect it to
start turning up unannounced in pills being
sold as ecstasy. That could get ugly… Party
people will not suddenly start going to bed
early. Some might soldier on with alcohol
as a social lubricant, others will seek illegal
drugs. Patterns of methamphetamine use may
change, with P -- smoked methamphetamine
-- retaining its social stigma, but snorting seen
(with some justification) as a less risky means
of consumption.”
In short, the BZP ban will not solve
anything. It will shift things about with dire
consequences. Expect the new prohibition to
bring about the first BZP-related death, which
Anderton will perversely use to justify the
logic of his actions.
Anderton announced the review of the
Misuse of Drugs Act as part of his crusade to
prevent more psychoactive substances being
released onto the market without his approval.
His version of things would see suppliers
having to demonstrate that their product is
“safe.” It is unclear what benchmark will
be used; peanut butter safe, Viagra safe, or
caffeine safe. The Law Commission is being
brought in to help answer this question.
Even at this early stage, Anderton has said
tobacco and alcohol will not be included in
the review. Presumably, substances covered
by the Medicines Act and Food Safety Act
will also be excluded. With such narrow terms
of reference, it is clear Anderton intends the
review to be a one-way street to prohibition,
with Class D being used as a holding cell
for substances waiting for a reason to be
banned.
But by creating Class D, politicians have
admitted that prohibition does not work.
We must not allow them to abuse this
opportunity for their own counter-productive
and damaging ends. If you have never written
to your MP or local newspaper, now is the
time to start (see our letter writing guide
on page 20). The terms of reference for the
re-write of the Misuse of Drugs Act must be
widened to provide a more level playing field
of the harm associated with all substances
- and the law. It’s imperative that the public
(you) are allowed their say. There should be
an amnesty called so everyone can share their
opinions and insights without fear of arrest.
NORML supports a new way forward,
along the lines of a Controlled Substances
Act, which would provide a regulatory
framework for all restricted substances based
on reasonable and comparative levels of harm
and that takes into account harms created by
the law itself. Without such a grand strategy,
any re-write is doomed to condemn us to more
hypocrisy, violence, and even death.
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