Party pills
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Party Pills, also known as "Herbal Highs", "Pep Pills" and "Dance Pills", is a New Zealand colloquialism for a type of recreational drug whose main ingredient, Benzylpiperazine, is banned in a few countries, including the USA, and Australia, but is available on a more or less restricted basis in many jurisdictions, especially New Zealand. A range of other piperazine derivatives have also been sold as ingredients in party pills in New Zealand, and some of these brands have subsequently been exported to other countries around the world. Piperazine derivatives sold in this way include BZP, TFMPP, MeOPP, pFPP and several others, although mCPP has rarely been sold as a party pill ingredient due to its tendency to cause migraine headaches.
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[edit] News and legality
Party pills and their legal status are often in the news. Matt Bowden of Stargate International, the original developer of such pills and now an industry spokesperson, is regularly consulted when issues involving party pills arise in the public arena. At one stage Prime television news presenter Alison Mau went so far as to test the effects of certain party pills. A clinical trial by ClubStargate for a pill named Ease was suspended because it contained substances similar to those in the illegal drug ecstasy.
Although sold through several types of retail businesses, New Zealand has classified party pills as a "Restricted Substance" by the Misuse of Drugs Act and restricted to those over 18 years.[1]. For more on the legal issues posed by party pills, see the Wikipedia article on Benzylpiperazine.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Harmonic Party Pill packaging, Evolvepills, Auckland, 2006
[edit] External links
- Video broadcast about Party Pills, 8 March 2005.
- Bill tightening rules on party pills, 24 May 2005.
- "Party Pills reducing New Zealand Road toll?" 6 November 2006.
- Party Pills Industry information website.
