NZ: BZP criminalised and taken from market - estimate 2 months!

[mikedj]

have heard through a trustworthy source that BZP will be officially off the market and criminalised in approximately 2 months. seems they couldnt wait to follow many of the other countries around the world that have criminalised this so called herbal high. please post comments as am hoping it is only a rumour although lets just say for the reliable source that taking bzp from the legal market will be highly bad for their business oppurtunities in auckland so why would they lie.
if any one has heard anything please post as there may be a mad rush to aquire proffesionally marketed/produced bzps and dance pills over the coming months before they disappear.
cheers

 

[Fry-d-]

I havn't read anything about this but I wouldn't be suprised. NZ usually follow Australia with such things and its been illegal in most of Australia for some time.

 

[apollo]

It's certainly no suprise to me either - the US, Australia, then NZ.

 

[phase_dancer]

The BZP range of active compounds were declared illegal in Qld last year.

 

[Zu]

It's certainly no suprise to me either - the US, Australia, then NZ.

I think in this case it was Australia first, then the US. It's a shame but no great loss. It's a pretty shitty high, IMHO.

 

[DJC*]

It's a pretty shitty high, IMHO.

I dunno, if done correctly it can be the most intense high. For me, when i did it properly, it was the longest(6 hours) and most intense high i've ever had. That said, my gf at the time experienced very little. Eat well beforehand, relax, do the correct dosage and away you go....

I'm not sure what its status is here in SYD of BZP, but its still on sale, so....

DJC*

 

[Zu]

It was on a fairly empty stomach so that may have been a factor. I took a BZP/TFMPP combo purchased from a NZ company. It took a long time to come on and I felt over-stimulated. I alternated between too hot and too cold and anything touching my skin (clothes, blankets, etc) were irritating. There was no enhanced musical appreciation (one of my favourite aspects of psychedelics) and no CEVs. I don't particularly like the effects of plain stimulants (eg meth) but had heard that this combo was psychedelic.

Two capsules were consumed around 9pm, it came on around 11pm and I didn't get to sleep till around 10am. I didn't have a hang over. There was some euphoria but not a lot. The setting was not that great; although I was in a safe environment (my house) I was the only one on it and everyone else left around midnight so I was by myself for most of the experience. Perhaps with a group in a more party type atmosphere I would have enjoyed it more. I can't remember if I had any alcohol with it (usually I have a few wines to settle the nerves before trying something new - unless it's specifically contraindicated).

Is NZ banning all piperazines or just BZP?

 

[Destruktikon]

To make the BZP TFMPP combo good, you HAVE TO smoke pot with it, this tends to bring on nice cev's. Also the dose of 2 caps stated on the label is not enough, I suggest taking atleast 4.

 

[b0bsandwitch]

BZP

Hmmm, this could be fun - lots of people going out of business if this is the case.... At *, I think I counted about 8 different companies selling BZP or BZP+TMFPP pills (and the funniest one was "ours is like nothing else!" - yeah, right....)

I've heard the Jim Anderton (MP) is behind it, tho given that very few people have had a bad reaction to it (AFAIK), I'm kinda supprised - it's being promoted as a "safer" alternative to meth (P), and the government is all over P (well, in the media, anyway - reality is somewhat different) at the moment....

[Edit: Venue details removed. Please read the posting guidelines. BigTrancer]

 

[hkvoyageur]

What kind of dosages are we talking about here? I have 100mg caps mixed with ginseng and some other herbal elements.

 

[Cowboy Mac]

Erowid is your friend. BZP Vault.

 

[baseage]

Can someone confirm if bzp is legal in Sydney?

I have just come back from NZ and tried a herbal pill called charged...and loved it.....

If it is illegal and there is a web site showing this..can u please provide it…

 

[Powder_Sports]

Its just been classifeid as 18+ in NZ, meaning that the purchaser has to be 18 or over to buy the product, same as alcohol.
IMO, its a shitty drug, the comeup is quite nice but then its like I hit a solid brick wall, and depression and anxiety take over.
Pass me the pills anyday.

 

[kizinja]

^^^ i believe that is a voluntary rating from the companies selling it. i'm sure that's not legislation.

i quite like the come up from these drugs, but i get a horrid 48 hour hangover peroid where i feel like rubbish. not everyone gets that mind you.

 

[trog]

There have been recommendations made this week - it will remain legal BUT there may be legislation passed that would restrict it.

Age limit may be set for party drugs

Age limit may be set for party drugs
09 April 2004

Party drugs derived from pepper plant are likely to stay legal but a new drug category may be established so an age limit can be set on who can buy them.


The Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs (EACD), an independent body made up of police, health, customs and drugs experts, found that based on available evidence the drugs were not harmful when used on their own but said it should be regulated.

The drugs contain the ingredients benzylpiperazine (BZP) and trifluromethylphenlypiperazine (TFMPP) and go by the street names Charge, Rapture, Blast and Exodus.

Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton said after receiving the EACD's report he wanted the possibly of adding another classification to the Misuse of Drug Act considered.

A new schedule such as Class D, would be a way to impose an age limit, which Mr Anderton suggested be 18.

"At the moment the committee is saying hand on heart we don't think there's a schedule for this to go on, it could have a separate one."

He said as well as the new schedule the EACD had recommended further research be done into potential harms of the drugs, which appear to be harmful when taken with some medicines and alcohol.

"There isn't any evidence of serious harm, true, but the jury is still out. There's a precautionary approach here, it's better not to wait until someone dies from these drugs," Mr Anderton said.

Other recommendations included research into how widespread use of the drugs were and that BZP should not be able to be sold as a dietary supplement as it is now.

Mr Anderton told reporters that five young people who were taken to Dunedin Hospital last month after apparently overdosing on the party pills had consumed large amounts of alcohol.

Side effects of the pills, which are described as the legal alternative to Ecstasy or P, include heart palpitations and increased blood pressure and body temperature.

Possession of the chemicals is illegal in the United States and some parts of Australia but there are no restrictions in New Zealand.

Mr Anderton said the US ban appeared to based on a death where the victim had also used other drugs.

It was unclear what the Australian restrictions were based on.

The "herbal highs" are available in some shops and cost about $40 for six tablets.

There is a significant industry around the drug with 1.5 million doses manufactured in New Zealand last year, the report said.

People who had used the drug or had information about it were asked to write to the EACD via the Ministry of Health.

 

[Nexus One]

It's still very much legal in NZ. There's been talk about it becoming illegal, but no action as of yet. There was a documentary on telly the other night, about the people who make the majority of BZP products. Both ex-drug addicts, who now go round at dance parties helping people who are in over their heads.

They make the BZP products as an alternative to illegal material, and say the major benefit is that you are getting a high which you know will work and you know what's inside it. I personally think it's a nasty nasty drug, a 1/2 dose at 10pm means your not getting to sleep until lunch time. They confronted them about the legal status of it in Aus and the US. They responded with the argument that a lot of Red Bull's ingredients are illegal in many countries too.

 

[Nexus One]

BZP's Review

Fridays decision by the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs not to schedule the ingredients BZP and TFMPP was based on the evidence and was entirely consistent with the Committee’s commitment to harm minimisation. Industry spokesperson Matt Bowden said perhaps as many as five million legal energy pills had been sold to New Zealanders of all walks of life over the last four years with no significant adverse effects.


“We congratulate the Expert Committee’s decision as a major first step towards an evidence-based approach to the issue.”

Mr Bowden said removing the products from the market would have left a gap that would inevitably be filled with dangerous and illegal drugs.”

“The Committee has made the right decision based on the evidence and common sense and has not been swayed by sensational comment and reporting.”

Mr Bowden said while he welcomed the decision, the industry was keen to continue working co-operatively with the Ministry and the EACD to address some concerns over use of the products.

“We are currently working to develop an industry-wide code of practice to cover the manufacture, labelling, marketing and dosage recommendations for these products, restrictions on the outlets that can sell them and an 18 year age limit,” he said.

“We agree that these products should not be sold to children. Some things are suitable for adults only.”

Mr Bowden said the industry would assist with further inquiries wherever it could. He said it was important that as many people as possible who had used the products gave feedback to the EACD so it could gather as full a picture as possible.

Mr Bowden said some of the adverse effects that have been blamed on these products have usually been associated with binge drinking of alcohol or to explain to police the effects of illegal drug use.

“Unfortunately, the use of dangerous and illegal drugs is growing at an alarming rate in New Zealand. What the industry has been trying to achieve is the provision of safe and legal alternatives that give people energy and reduce risk.

“These products have been safely and widely used across mainstream New Zealand for years now. We believe they are providing a safer, legal and valuable alternative to illegal drugs at a time when drugs such as P are extending their reach into the community.”

Link

Short version: BZP not banned.

 

[kizinja]

It'd be a very dangerous move as it was banned. Despite the popularity of these pills in NZ (there's been 1.5 doses sold for every NZer) ecstasy use has been on the rise. although this is based purely on police seziures, many people would tell you it's getting harder to sell E in NZ. It's progress.

I can picture that if piperazine products became illegal here, the black market would move very quickly to fill the gap it'd leave.

It's a novel concept a government has made a decision based on facts. This is a rareity we should treasure.

I think the heavy side effects of BZP are teaching n00bs a lesson about drugs, before they move on to harder drugs. It's brilliant really...

 

[VelocideX]

I'm not sure what its status is here in SYD of BZP, but its still on sale, so....

That's interesting -- I've never even heard of it being sold or consumed in Sydney, nor heard anyone else talk about it besides on bluelight. I've (obviously) never seen it sold in Syd.

I'm guessing such sales would be on-the-sly, under-the-counter type deals, but if it is sold and has been used I'm surprised that I've never heard about it through the rave scene at all.

 

[float_around]

Fuck I wish they did make that shit illegal- its not fair on the other (and possibly less harmful) drugs that are criminalised. It is nasty nasty stuff- only the ignorant and misinformed would advocate it as a 'safe alternative' or substitute to 'harder drugs'. its like say substituting morphine for panadol