Dean Jacqui: Sports Anti-Doping Bill — In Committee 
Dean Jacqui: Sports Anti-Doping Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:634;Page:5975] 
JACQUI DEAN (National—Otago) 
: 
 I support the Sports Anti-Doping Bill. The purpose of the bill is the laudable aim of “protecting athletes’ fundamental right to participate in doping-free sport”—the National Party supports that—and to “promote health fairness and equality for athletes world-wide;”. That is very laudable but I pause and wonder why the Government is promoting the purposes of this legislation on the one hand yet on the other seems to be terribly terribly remiss in addressing a drug problem in New Zealand which is affecting people within sports codes and also other walks of life. The Government is turning an absolutely blind eye to that growing drug problem in New Zealand which is affecting many many young New Zealanders. The problem is the use of benzylpiperazine-based drugs and the regulations on their use. It makes me wonder how the Government on the one hand can have such laudable aims yet on the other can be so terribly terribly remiss in doing something about benzylpiperazine. 
We had a rugby player from the UK a member of the North Otago team staying at our place. As part of that second division rugby team’s team building and learning about ethics he and his team were given a little pamphlet which unfortunately I did not bring. I wish I had because I would have tabled it in the House today. This pamphlet warned young rugby players—players in the rugby code in particular—about indulging in drugs and drug use. That pamphlet which was given to every rugby player in North Otago and possibly further afield had a list of drugs to avoid including benzylpiperazine or party pills. Why can we on the one hand have the Sports Anti-Doping Bill yet the Government sits on its hands and does absolutely nothing about an incredibly dangerous drug—in my humble view—benzylpiperazine? It just does not make sense to me. 
We know anecdotally that there is a drug culture growing in New Zealand—affecting all young people not just sportspeople—of party pills or benzylpiperazine. What is the Government doing about it? The Government is doing absolutely nothing about it. The Government has been told about this problem for months and months. I have called on the Minister for Sport and Recreation Trevor Mallard and in fact the Minister in the chair Clayton Cosgrove has expressed his concerns. I would be very interested to know how he can support this bill yet turn an absolute blind eye to benzylpiperazine. We have heard the rhetoric. The member has been full of plenty of hot air in his own electorate; why is he not calling on the Minister concerned with drug policy to tighten up the regulations on party pills? Why is he satisfied to sit back and let a drug problem grow in New Zealand? 
It is interesting that in small provincial communities in New Zealand we are encouraging young people to get into sport—rugby netball hockey; all the good healthy things—and at the same time those people can walk away from their rugby practice go into the dairy and see party pills for sale that contain benzylpiperazine. What kind of message is the Government sending? How can its members sit there and promote this bill—which National members will support—with the purpose of protecting athletes’ fundamental right to participate in doping-free sport when those same athletes can walk out of the changing rooms into the dairy and buy a drug that affects their performance? I ask those members to answer me that because I would dearly love to know. I would dearly love the Minister concerned with drug policy to finally wake up realise what is happening to young people in New Zealand because of drugs and tighten up the regulations around benzylpiperazine.