Party Pill Panic Politics & Spin
Press release - Candor Trust

Party Pills And Driving - The Wider Issues

Candor road safety group say it is no surprise party pills were found to enhance driving in recent research from the Medical Research Institute (NZ). When Aussie cops started testing truckies for stimulants and prosecuting them for use of amphetamines their truck crashes went up. Prior to that, one Oz state considered issuing pro drivers with mild stimulants.

But the plan was aborted. Chemical modification causes health issues in long term which could become an OSH issue. And it often also leads to fatigue which an Australasian study lately showed is the main risk of stimulant drugs for drivers - after the intoxication fades.

BZP is about as widely used as cannabis here and nearly 50% of males aged 20 to 24 have tried it. As this is a prime risk group for car crashes the Campaign Against Drugs on Roads has taken a keen interest in party pill 'developments'. The Trust now feels partly vindicated regarding it's prior advice that BZP's presence may have a net positive effect on the road toll, in light of the recent local research.

Candor Trust Workers remain concerned about the quality and independence of MRINZ party pill research. Not to mention the conclusions that seem to have been errantly drawn from results of the study cancelled at the half way mark - by some, who must consider wider issues than the stark facts.

Although the findings would agree with international research clearing mild stimulants as risky for driving we'd be quite interested to know how performance was measured. If they looked for impairments typical of alcohol use they barked up the wrong tree. Visual distance perception is severely affected with these types of drugs which would make reaction times moot.

The Trust fear the consequences to road safety if 50 000 New Zealanders who no longer use 'P" because of the party pill option (SHORE study) are nudged back to the dealers doorsteps by a party pill prohibition. A return to higher levels of drink driving in combination with pot is a worrying prospect - since the combination (often with sub legal limit alcohol) is evidenced to greatly boost the toll 'down under' as it is.

'Party pills must have saved many lives since their debut - it stands to reason,' say the Trust. 4% of deceased Kiwi drivers were on "P" when they crashed and odds are that a similar number of road victims will have been killed by P users who themselves survived the crash in recent years. BZP, marketed as a P alternative has no such public health risk attached according to the bulk of studies and to user testimonials.

There have been no recorded deaths as a result of BZP use on or off the road say the EACD - few drugs have a safety record that good. There is no evidence of aggressive behaviour or sexual assault until yesterday - which appears more connected to habitual offending than the drug.

In contrast 'P' (methamphetamine) use is strongly associated with violent offending across the spectrum - by previously normal functioning individuals.

In a strange twist methadone a drug also having high association with mortality, offending and on road risk is even classified so that it may be advertised, unlike New Zealand bred party pills. And a sexual assault connectd to methadone occurred outside a warehouse this wek which unlike the paty pill 'incident' passed unnoticed.

Australia and the USA have made BZP illicit, although on the basis of little or no experience with the drug say the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs. Embarrassingly for our Government Australian customs are seizing BZP that has been ordered by internet and shipped from here. 'I suspect they'd save more people by seizing our butter shipments instead,' says Ms Ford.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime International Narcotics Control Board has written to New Zealand seeking information on our experience with BZP and intentions regarding controls. The latest study is criticised by Candor as low grade all round. It rails about subjective fairly harmless symptoms in a manner that seems to exaggerate the typical effects anyway.

Vivid vision perhaps is described as hallucinations, and headaches as 'migraine'. A sample of 30 participants before they shut the study down - perhaps paniced at th trivia side already known effects uncovered - can hardly be called a 'sample,' and the study therefore really isn't one.

'Either the part about it improving driving is wrong or the other stuff about party pills causing bad adverse effects is wrong. Can't have it both ways', say Candor. 'People who hallucinate and spent time vomiting would not make better drivers. Opiate addicts long past proved that'.

The Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs noted in their letter to Mr Anderton there is a growing international perception of New Zealand being a primary BZP supplier, which has the potential to impact on New Zealand’s international reputation.

Candor believe this may be why the study is being waved about (in all it's lack of any released detail) to stir panic and rally support for a perhaps unjustified ban.

A campaign that seems to have been stepped up with publicising by Police of claims one Jonathon Smallbon sexually assaulted another man due to lowered inhibitions after taking several party pills. Sexual deviates have a tendency to deny responsibility for their actions by blaming anything or anyone they possibly can.

Drugs remain a 'mitigating factor' so blaming party pills whether they factored or not could be lawyer advised. As the man who has apparently admitted his attack has a history of such offending, it seems his behaviour could have been made more likely by consumption of any drug so it is not party pills to blame at all.

'We'd dearly love to see the results in full if they are truly so concerning - why is the Government so coy? And once we're all able to make a true asessment of the study and thrash out the way forward - then perhaps the Government can finally turn it's attention and research funds to real issues and areas needing research in the drug policy area.'

Ends

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