Legalising pure ecstasy should be considered given it is safer than alcohol, a Wellington Hospital emergency medical specialist says.
Clinical toxicologist Paul Quigley says there is evidence MDMA – the purest version of ecstasy – is one of the safest recreational drugs compared to alcohol, Fairfax Media reports.
Alcohol is behind around two-thirds weekend and late-night hospital admissions, Dr Quigley says.
He believes legalising and regulating the sale and manufacture of MDMA could damage the black market for more harmful drugs entering the market.
The idea has also been supported by the New Zealand Drug Foundation, while Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne says he's willing to discuss the proposal with Dr Quigley.
The drug would need to undergo the Psychoactive Substances Act testing regime. If it passed, it could be sold in controlled and limited doses from chemists or chains such as Cosmic Corner with an R18 rating. Sales would be subject to similar stringent rules around alcohol sales.
"There are political and moral barriers that society has to get through – and we may still find something that is better and safer than MDMA – but people will always take recreational drugs, and society has to accept that at some stage there will be a drug available that is a safe and acceptable alternative to alcohol," Dr Quigley says.
Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell backs the idea, saying a number of new and unknown chemicals were bring sold as ecstasy because of a global shortage of the drug.
He says if drugs which had known effects were regulated, it would go a long way to reducing harm from drugs on the black market.
Mr Dunne says the Government would be hesitant to legalise MDMA at this stage, and on the "remote assumption" it would look at the idea, it would still take several years to reclassify it.
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