Hutchison Paul: Misuse of Drugs (Classification of BZP) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Hutchison Paul: Misuse of Drugs (Classification of BZP) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:645;Page:14765] 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON (National—Port Waikato) 
: 
 I will take just a brief call firstly to say that we are always interested in practical amendments that are put forward to the Committee and I think it is a shame that once again the Minister in the chair the Hon Jim Anderton does not seem to have an open mind with regard to this one. But I will focus for a moment on Mr Anderton’s concern when he said that the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs is supposed to report to the Minister rather than to Parliament. Well there is no doubt that it would be very easy for a responsible Minister to then report to Parliament. I think he is indeed being somewhat circuitous in suggesting that he will not support this very important practical amendment. 
The point that should be emphasised is this. It was only in 2004 that the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs clearly stated: “The Minister of Food Safety should be requested to consider the appropriateness of permitting the chemical BZP to be sold as a dietary supplement in New Zealand when it has no known nutritional value.” That was only 3 years ago. The committee went on to state: “After considering the evidence the EACD believes that there is no current schedule of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 under which BZP could reasonably be placed.” The committee has changed its view in 3 short years and I agree that it is appropriate that it has changed its view but the point I am making which Mr Anderton seems to totally evade or misunderstand is that this is a very rapidly changing area. 
The Minister has just told the Committee that he hopes that once this legislation comes into place suddenly and mysteriously party pills will no longer be used in New Zealand. But all the evidence I have heard anecdotally is that mischievous manufacturers will be putting these pills underground and there is no doubt in my mind that Parliament should have a formal report from a respected committee such as the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs as to what is happening. 
Minister Anderton talks about the review of the Misuse of Drugs Act. Well why on earth after 8 years of this tawdry Labour Government has this review not happened? Why did it not happen so much earlier? The Minister is now at the eleventh hour 5 months before he is due to be tipped out talking about this being the sort of thing the Government could put in the review of the Misuse of Drugs Act. I would say to the Minister that he is being particularly churlish in suggesting that the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs has to report to him. I believe that if he has any sense of responsibility then he could easily support this practical amendment which is the insertion in the bill of a new clause 5A. It merely requires “A report on the effects of the reclassification of BZP and related substances must be presented to the House of Representatives by the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs within 1 month at the end of the period in subsection (1).”—that is 2 years after the legislation comes into play. 
The point the Minister is making is on a technicality that it cannot be done. I would have thought that a responsible Minister who is concerned about reacting to drugs on an evidence base should support this practical amendment. 
The question was put that the amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 181 in the name of Dr Paul Hutchison to new clause 5A be agreed to.