14 June 2006
Anderton surprised at comments of enough evidence on party pills
Jim Anderton Chair of the Ministerial Committee on Drugs, said today that he was confused by the reported comments of Dr
Paul Gee of the Christchurch Hospital which were reported today in all the major national newspapers, namely that there
was already “more than enough” evidence to ban BZP based party pills.
“Dr Gee has applied to the National Drug Policy Discretionary Fund for funding for further research into the toxicity of
BZP. Therefore I find his comments somewhat surprising, to say the least," Jim Anderton said today.
"The Ministerial Committee on Drug policy met last night to decide applications to the fund and Dr Gee’s application was
agreed. However, given his reported comments I have asked the Ministry of Health to contact Dr Gee to seek confirmation
from him that he does indeed wish to do the research for which he has applied.
"The Ministerial committee decided to agree to his funding application because it felt that it would build on existing
work and add to the evidence base on BZP that we are working towards. That evidence base is being built up from work
already completed and from current ongoing research.
"The upshot is that New Zealand will have the most significant body of research in the world on BZP based party pills,
evidence which the international community can and will draw on.
"Recreational drug misuse is a global problem with every country having to grapple with new and emerging substances and
we rely on work done everywhere to back policy direction.
"I would personally ban party pills tomorrow if it were up to me as I don’t think our youth need these sort of
substances in order to 'have fun', but this government is committed to an evidence based drug policy, based on the
advice of experts and not on the gut feelings of politicians, or industry hype.
"To get this evidence, the Labour-Progressive government has put its money where its mouth is, money that I secured as
Progressive Leader, so I am hardly “sitting on my hands as evidence mounts” as one silly National Party MP would have
people believe. Rather, I am secure in the knowledge that when the experts reassess party pills at the end of the year
they will have a substantial evidence base on which to make their recommendations, ones that I will not hesitate to act
upon,” Jim Anderton said.
ENDS