Thursday, December 21, 2006

"PARTY PILLS"


The Government has been advised to outlaw the sale of "party pills" by an expert committee which has been studying their dangers.
The pills can be legally purchased by those over 18, but critics say their main active ingredient benzylpiperazine (BZP) is dangerous and pill doses are often far higher than recommended, leading to significant potential harm.



It irritates me intensely when these dangerous drugs are described as either "party pills" or "herbal highs". They are neither! They are mind altering chemicals that are being marketed under these guises by soulless businessmen who want to make money.


They have been shown to alter the "wiring" in the brain PERMANENTLY through new axon and dendritic growth. We do not know what the long term effects they have on behavior, this will all come out later. In the mean time do you want to play Russian roulette with your brain?

People are taking varying amounts of these pills that are made from an unknown recipe, with unknown quantities in them and then get in a car and drive, not knowing what effect this will have on their safety on the road. What idiots!


Prescription medicines have to pass through rigorous scientific testing and then are reviewed by independent pharmacology and medical experts before being allowed to be prescribed by doctors to the public. There are quality controls in the manufacture that ensures the correct dosage. If the same drug is subsequently manufactured by a different company, the process is repeated before they can be used in New Zealand. The manufacturers of these "party pills"are literally getting away with murder.


Comparisons are being made to alcohol, and quite rightly so. However since the beginning of time man has made alcohol, and when used with caution, does not cause harm. Excessive use causes destruction of brain tissue, alteration of mood, altered reflexes and perception, violence and accidents. These facts are known to the public. Idiots who drink themselves to a standstill will face the consequences. There are also laws against the misuse of this drug.


People argue that by controlling these substances, there will be greater exposure to other drugs such as "P". This message is being trumpeted by the manufacturers of BZP containing drugs and is nonsense as many users of "party pills" will experiment with other drugs too. What is more important is that the culture of having to take a drug to improve their ability to party needs to be altered.


I do not agree with Jim Anderton about much, but I do agree that there needs to be control of these substances, the sooner the better.

5 comments:

Never Anonymous said...

Mawm,

Almost looks like the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club after the Friday night post Newport Bermuda Race this year in that photo. To try to answer the question you left on my blog:I've been sailing and racinf OBP's for some time now (O ther P eople's B oats). I have a website you may want to check out
groups.msn.com/sailingtheworld

it tells some of my sailing stories

i race in season mostly up here in the Northeast, USA. Hoping to get down to the Caribbean a couple of times this winter.

Smooth sailing,
Neveranonymous

Kane Bunce said...

They are NOT getting away with murder. People do it to themselves. Now that the effects are known it's suicide not murder. People have the right to commit suicide either by intent or a result of a different intent. It is their life and no one else's.

Furthermore the number of people that die from party pills is very low.

But even if it was high it would not justify the right of everyone to take any substance they wish to no matter how much it harms them.

Just like with alcohol it is a case of idiots suffering the consequences of their own actions.

I think it is sad when people turn to either drugs, alcohol, or party pills to get a high/pleasure creator (though alcohol in moderation and as a celebratory thing not a pleasure creator is something I think is good).

Anonymous said...

Kane the problem is that the idiots that are taking the various cocktails of drugs are unaware of the side and long term effects. As long as they are being promoted as 'herbal highs' and 'party pills' they are being misled. Thus it is not suicide but murder.

They other people who get in the way of drugged persons have no choice, so it is not only their life that is at risk.

I do have a problem with stopping people from having a free choice, but it is not so free and other people often pay the price!

Anonymous said...

You say "They have been shown to alter the "wiring" in the brain PERMANENTLY through new axon and dendritic growth" and use the term murder. I'm undertaking a risk analysis of social tonics/party pills... Can you provide references that support these statements?

Anonymous said...

Anon, I can't give you a reference off-hand but it was in a Neuro-psychiatry article that I read sometime ago. Some interesting stuff in Jan 29th Time mag about neuro-psychiatry. Might get some leads to articles about the effects of drugs on the brain from it.