Bennett David: General Debate 
Bennett David: General Debate 
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DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East) 
: 
 Following on from that speech made by Maurice Williamson I think that those numbers from Oregon showing a reduction in methamphetamine lab busts after the ban on over-the-counter sales of cold and flu medicines that contained pseudoephedrine are quite insightful. Many New Zealanders would be very heartened to hear that there will be results from this great initiative led by our Prime Minister. Many a time in this House in this Parliament New Zealanders do not see actions that will result in success for our country and our people. The drug P has touched the lives of many New Zealanders not only family members of those using the drug but also victims of crimes carried out to pay for this drug abuse. To finally have some action taken that will provide some serious results by restricting the use of this drug and by restricting the activities that go on to fund such drug use is something that many New Zealanders will take a lot of comfort from. 
The Prime Minister has engaged in a very strong process in looking at this drug. He has looked at and dealt with not only the issue of the manufacture of the drug but also the way in which we deal with the drug users who need help and assistance to get over their use of the drug. That two-pronged approach that the Government has taken will be effective. We are not only trying to reduce the supply and use of this very addictive drug P but also looking at solutions for those individuals who have been caught in that process and need help and expertise to get out of it. When one looks at the process one sees two prongs to it. Essentially the first is to restrict the supply of the drug through the restriction of the purchase of it over the counter. Labour has come out against that measure. Labour members say in this House that they are against the use of P but at the same time that they do not want to restrict the use or purchase through pharmacies of the ingredient drugs. 
Members opposite cannot have it both ways. They cannot say that they have a cause and campaign against the drug P but at the same time do not wish to take the vital steps to reduce its ingredient components. Labour members need to stand up and understand that if they want to be against this drug like all New Zealanders want to be then they need to take some firm steps and not just look the other way and say that they want to have it both ways. They cannot say that they want the ingredients able to be purchased through pharmacies yet want to stamp out the drug. We cannot do it both ways. We have to make some hard decisions and this Government has made the hard decisions because we have set priorities. The priority is for New Zealanders not to be in a society that has this drug to the extent that it has it at the moment. 
Overseas experience has shown that the first step of reducing those ingredients does lead to an effective constraint on the supply of that drug; Maurice Williamson just explained some of the statistics that are vital in showing that. When we look overseas in respect of the use of ingredients in the typical flu remedies that many people may try to purchase through the pharmacist we find that most other countries that have banned the drug have found that the ban has not necessarily been detrimental to the health of their citizens. Leaving the ability for New Zealanders to go through the medical process of a doctor’s prescription still enables those New Zealanders who desire to use those ingredients to do so. We are giving New Zealanders that opportunity to use those ingredients but in a controlled manner. They will be going through a process that will be in the best interests of our country. That is what we are doing here. 
We are looking at a drug that should not be available to the extent that it is in New Zealand. There is no excuse for P to be so dominant in New Zealand when in other countries it is not so dominant in the drug world. If that is the case then we need to take those actions to make sure that that dominance is removed. These are the actions that are needed to do so. I applaud the Prime Minister and the Government for their strong work in this area to achieve those goals. A big part of the second prong is the strategy of dealing with those who are users of the drug and who need help to get out of it.