Dean Jacqui: Misuse of Drugs (Classification of BZP) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Dean Jacqui: Misuse of Drugs (Classification of BZP) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:645;Page:14758] 
JACQUI DEAN (National—Otago) 
: 
 I am very pleased to rise to speak in support of the Misuse of Drugs (Classification of BZP) Amendment Bill but I would have been even more pleased to rise to speak on this bill back in early December as was scheduled. It was a cause of great regret to me that we had to go through another Christmas and New Year period with young people—including kids as young as 11 who first stick their heads up and start looking around at the world about them and seeing what is on offer—being able to see benzylpiperazine (BZP) or party pills freely available in convenience stores and dairies. Those young people being under 18 years did not see them in liquor outlets but of course BZP pills for sale in liquor outlets brings with it its own perils as no doubt the medical practitioners in the country’s accident and emergency wards will have discovered. So we have had another 4 months of BZP being visible in our community and I say again that I regret that. 
I want to address Supplementary Order Paper 180 if that is in order and to note the proposed amendments as put forward by the Minister in the chair the Hon Jim Anderton. His amendment to clause 2 proposes to omit “18 December 2007” and substitute “1 April 2008” as the commencement date. I say that this is a Supplementary Order Paper of shame. This bill should have been dealt with at the end of last year or is this just an instance of another broken promise; just another delay? 
The Supplementary Order Paper also proposes to amend clause 6 by omitting “18 June 2008” which refers to the expiry date of the 6-month amnesty and substituting “1 October 2008”. Again I say that the Minister in charge of drug policy has failed the young people of New Zealand in failing to address this issue of recreational drug use by young people. 
It is now March 2008. I was elected to Parliament in September 2005 and practically the first person who came through the door of my newly opened electorate office was somebody who was very concerned about the use of party pills in our society. At that time I thought this was only a small issue in my home town of Oamaru but as events have subsequently shown it is not. The sale of party pills is a fast-growing industry in New Zealand and in the 2½ years I have been an elected member I have been working hard to get this legal drug trade shut down. 
I turn to a press release by the Progressive party that was put out in the name of the Hon Jim Anderton who made a couple of comments about National MP Jacqui Dean “taking up this issue”. It is interesting is it not that we both support this bill yet in the press release he took me to task for bringing a petition of 7000 signatures to Parliament. He stated: “All 7000 signatories and all those other New Zealanders concerned about party pills should be assured that this government has acted is acting and will continue to act to ensure these products are appropriately dealt with.” The Minister’s press release continues: “The Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs will reassess BZP party pills as soon as all the research has been completed which I am advised will be between June and November this year.” That is fine and I say to the Minister that it is a good example of front-footing it which is what the headline states. The trouble is that this press release was dated 15 March 2006—nearly 2 years ago to the day. Far from front-footing it I would suggest that “flat-footed” would probably be a more apt description. 
The shame is that in those 2 years when we were waiting and waiting the Minister could not see what was happening right in front of him in New Zealand society. More and more and ever more young New Zealanders have been cottoning on to the idea that in order to have a good time one first must pop a pill. I think that is a shame.