Have your say > Bills and new laws > Should BZP be banned?

B Z What?

The Misuse of Drugs (Classification of BZP) Amendment Bill

What the Bill is about?
The Misuse of Drugs (Classification of BZP) Amendment Bill wants to make BZP products (often known as "party pills") a Class C drug, like cannabis. If the Bill is passed into law, it will be illegal to possess, supply or manufacture BZP products, with a six month amnesty (this means if the law is passed BZP wont become illegal for another six months) for possession of the drug. Currently, BZP products are a restricted substance that cannot be sold to under 18's.

Why is the law change being suggested?
The Government's Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs (people on this committee include police, doctors and custom officers) recommended that BZP be made illegal because of the amount of harm caused to people who use it.

What are people saying about this bill?
Some people have said that banning BZP will lead to people using more dangerous drugs such as "P". Others have said that making BZP products illegal is not the best way to reduce the harms it can do to health and wellbeing.

Youth voices to government?
Activate, a youth advisory group for the Ministry of Youth Development, fed their views into the Ministry of Youth Development's submission during the development of a Government's position on BZP. Also, for Youth Parliament 2007, the Youth MPs were involved in a ‘mock’ select committee looking at the questions "Should BZP be Illegal?". The report from this Youth Parliament select committee was submitted to the ‘real’ select committee.

Where is the Bill at now?
The Bill is before Select Committee, which will make recommendations to Parliament. Their final report is expected in the middle of November 2007. Submissions on the Bill have closed.

Top of page