Wagner Nicky: Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Wagner Nicky: Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:674;Page:20192] 
NICKY WAGNER (National) 
: 
 I rise to support the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill in its Committee stage. I want to look at Part 1 and at some of the things that we have not really talked about too much today. Obviously this bill is designed to amend the existing legislation and to improve the effectiveness of drug control. But the main purpose of the bill notwithstanding the Supplementary Order Paper is to reclassify ephedrine and pseudoephedrine as a class B2 controlled drug. It also removes thalidomide as a class A controlled drug. It allows a hazardous substance to be scheduled also as a restricted substance. It extends the definition of amphetamine analogues and it extends the controls over drug paraphernalia. 
The reason we are reclassifying ephedrine and pseudoephedrine is designed to close off the local source of supply of precursor substance for the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine in the country. It is just another line of attack to support the Government’s determination to clamp down on P and to clamp down on the damage that it causes to New Zealand’s communities. At the same time as this bill being passed the Government is also taking steps to break drug supply chains and to improve the availability of and access to drug treatments for addicts. 
It was interesting that most of the submissions to the Health Committee considering this bill were about the drug utensils provision. Most were concerned that prohibiting drug utensils would not work because users would make their own implements—for example they would use light bulbs for taking P and bits of plumbing hardware to make pipes for smoking. However the majority of that select committee felt that the display of specifically redesigned drug-taking utensils in stores glamorised drug taking and attracted more users. It was interesting that this was a similar argument that was used about the display of cigarettes and tobacco products which was banned by this House just a few weeks ago. Making it an offence to sell supply and import utensils will assist the anti-drug effort by ensuring the public receives a consistent message about the unacceptability of illegal drugs. I think a comment made in the Chamber tonight is that we want some consistency in this area. 
There was also concern from submitters that if cold and flu preparations containing pseudoephedrine were available only by prescription it would be unnecessarily expensive and inconvenient for patients to visit their doctor to get a prescription. However the committee was reassured by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman that there are plenty of effective alternatives available and I think we agreed with him that the risk of the diversion of pseudoephedrine-based products into the manufacture of methamphetamines outweighed the benefits of their over-the-counter availability. A more limited choice of cold and flu remedies was acceptable in the interests of the public good. 
I would like to move to the discussion on Supplementary Order Paper 258 and to support these amendments which are in the name of the Hon Peter Dunne. The key to this is that it introduces temporary class drug notices. They can provide a temporary ban for unregulated psychoactive substances such as Kronic and other synthetic cannabis products taking them off the market for 12 months. Although the risks of Kronic and other similar substances are unknown there are real fears of potential long-term effects. It is unacceptable to the Government that a product that causes potentially lethal risks is available freely to young people. 
Over the past few months there has been increasing evidence of the dangerous effects of these drugs and just like many members in the Chamber today I have been approached by concerned parents one of whom had had a near-death experience with their son who had taken Kronic. It is very frightening for parents but also for the community. Recently we have also seen contamination of these products with prescription medicines. 
I think that these temporary class drug notices are a good interim measure and a precautionary approach that will get these products off the shelves now and for at least 12 months. But as we have heard the Government’s long-term aim is to implement the Law Commission’s recommendations to reverse the onus of proof and to require the industry to prove that its products are safe before they can be sold to the public. The current situation is that manufacturers can come up with a product like Kronic and as long as it fits within the category and does not include illegal substances it can be sold as of right. The Government believes that this needs to be changed and it expects to introduce legislation to do this by the middle of next year. In the meantime this Supplementary Order Paper 258 will be a well-received stopgap measure and I thank the Minister for that.