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Press Releases
2007
 Party Pill Ban Lapse Averts Disaster.
The Social Tonics Association of New Zealand today said that the pre-Christmas Party Pill ban was poorly planned. “A pre-Christmas ban would have sent hundreds of thousands of everyday kiwi consumers to the black market gangs to stock up for their festivities,” said STANZ Chairman Matt Bowden, “it is hardly surprising that such a notion doesn’t have enough support in Parliament, it was a dangerous and bad idea.”
>13/12/07
Government plans to ban bzp based on anecdotal evidence.
MP Jacqui Dean admitted to the Health Select Committee in Parliament on Wednesday that the reasoning behind her call to ban BZP – the belief that “it is a gateway to harder drugs” – is based mostly on anecdotal evidence.
>11/10/07
Water banning reflex no joke.
The Social Tonics Association of New Zealand (STANZ) today called for Oamaru MP Jacqui Dean to step down from speaking on drug issues after she demonstrated a lack of credibility in calling for the ban of dihydrogen monoxide (water.) A group of party pill consumers successfully used the DHMO (water banning) hoax to determine whether Ms Dean’s position on substances was evidence based or not, and whether there would be any consideration for the impact this proposed ban would have on the public.
>14/09/2007
Official minutes show expert committee split on party pills.
The Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs is divided over whether party pills pose a low or moderate risk of harm and has significant reservations about the quality of much of the research on which it based its recommendation to ban BZP, according to official records.
>23/08/07
Party pills will be safer regulated than on the black market.
The Social Tonics Association of New Zealand today corrected a misconception that party pills contain illegal drugs and identified evidence of the trend for party pill ingredients to make their way onto the black market.
>16/07/07
Party Pill ban removes safety barrier for young adults.
The Social Tonics Association of New Zealand (STANZ) today decried the ban on party pills as removing the safety barrier for young adults partying behaviours, and said that it was inconsistent with moves to review the Misuse of Drugs Act. Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton announced the review of the Misuse of Drugs Act to be conducted by the Law Commission next year after too many ad hoc adjustments had been made to the legislation over the years, but then also introduced to the House today a new Bill to ban party pills before Christmas this year.
>11/07/07
Minister should use the solution to hand – STANZ
“The Government’s decision to ban BZP was expected. What is surprising is the Government’s failure to protect the public by using the remedy to hand,” the Social Tonics Association of New Zealand said today.
>28/06/2007
Industry Welcomes Christening of Drug Regulations.
The Social Tonics Association of New Zealand (STANZ) today welcomed the first prosecution under the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Act of a man who sold party pills to a minor.
>11/05/07
BZP
risks exaggerated, but banning will only make them worse.
Jacqui
Dean’s bill to prohibit legal party
pills will result in an increase in Illegal drug use and abuse
of alcohol, according to research by respected market research
organisation Consumer Link.
>17/04/2007
Survey sounds strong warning on costs of banning BZP.
Illegal drug use and abuse of alcohol will increase if legal party pills are prohibited, according to a survey by respected market research organisation Consumer Link.
>14/03/07
STANZ offers full safety code for party pills.
A comprehensive regulatory regime and safety code governing the manufacture, sale
and use of party pills were today released by the Social Tonics Association of New Zealand.
>11/02/07
Prohibiting party pills will deliver the market to the gangs.
The prohibition of alcohol in the United States in the 1920s contains many important and deadly serious lessons for New Zealand as our government considers banning party pills here.
>11/02/07
Questions Raised On Party Pills.
Chair of the Social Tonics Association of New Zealand (STANZ), Matt Bowden, today said he had grave concerns about the research upon which the decision to ban party pills in New Zealand was based.
>12/01/07
Comparative Risks of Legal Party Pills, Alcohol and Illegal Drugs.
Legal party pills are extremely common throughout New Zealand and are a recognised form of social stimulant. According to industry experts, over 20 million pills have been consumed over the last 5 years.
2006
Report into party pills misses the point.
The Social Tonics Association of New Zealand (STANZ) today said that any move to ban party pills would simply lead to tens of thousands of New Zealanders instead taking dangerous illegal drugs.
>20/12/06
Research: party pills stopping illegal drug use.
The Social Tonics Association of New Zealand (STANZ) today welcomed the release of new independent research showing that party pills are playing a critical role as a safer alternative to
illegal drugs.
>14/06/06
New
research shows party pills stopping illegal drug use
The Social Tonics Association of New Zealand (STANZ) today
welcomed the release of new independent research showing that
party pills are playing a critical role as a safer alternative
to illegal drugs.
>13/06/2006
Party Pill Promoters Must Face the Facts.
Associate Justice Minister and Waimakariri MP Clayton Cosgrove says a new
study confirms that party pills are a gateway to illicit drugs, a serious road safety
risk and are addictive, for many people.
>13/06/07
Industry
welcomes party pill sting
The Social Tonics Association of New Zealand,
representing responsible members of the party pill industry,
today welcomed a police sting on companies selling party pills
to minors.
>10/06/2006
EASE trial terminated after conflicting advice.
Stargate International today announced its decision to terminate a non-therapeutic clinical trial after receiving conflicting opinions on the legality of one of the compounds in the ecstasy alternative "EASE".
09/04/06
Party pill industry calls for more regulation.
The Social Tonics Association of New Zealand (STANZ) today called on the Minister for Drug Policy, Hon Jim Anderton, to introduce further regulations to make party pills even safer.
>26/01/06
Party pills: BZP safety review.
“There is no information available anywhere in the world on exactly what BZP does.” This statement is only partially correct. Certainly BZP has not been subjected to full clinical trials as would be required for a new medicinal product, and the information that is available is not as complete as we would like. However there is some limited information available on both the pharmacology and toxicology of BZP.
>26/01/06
2005
Safer alternatives lead to reduced demand .
The industry supplying safer legal alternatives to illegal drugs today welcomed the release of new research which it said points to a reducing demand for methamphetamine.
30/11/05
Call
for BZP ban misses the point.
A suggestion from some Canterbury health workers
that BZP-based party pills should be banned would create many problems
and solve none, according to drug policy advocate Matt Bowden...
>02/11/2005
Drug users deserve jobs too.
A New Zealand advocate for sensible drug policy today said it was ridiculous to deny people employment on the basis of whether they had used recreational substances on the weekend.
>25/10/05
Police
say party pills reducing demand for ecstacy
A senior policeman pointed out that demand for
illegal drugs was being reduced by availability of safe legal party
pills, evidencing the effectiveness of the solution, recreational
drugs other than alcohol are being used across the board by New
Zealanders. Politicians, the police and increasingly the community
are becoming aware that providing treatment facilities and options,
and ensuring safety, are much more effective solutions than persecution
and imprisonment...
>22/07/2005
Police say party pills reducing demand for ecstasy.
The Social Tonics Association of New Zealand (STANZ) today welcomed the comment from the head of the New Plymouth CIB, Detective Senior Sergeant Grant Coward, that the use of ecstasy had dropped with the increased availability of party pills.
>22/07/05
Industry welcomes legal ‘party pill’ protections
STANZ welcome the new Misuse of Drugs Amendment
Bill, which was passed under urgency in Parliament today, for the
first time giving New Zealand legislation for "restricted substances"
making them R18 and with provision for regulation around manufacture
and marketing of BZP "party pills." “This Bill represents
the most sensible approach to drug policy and harm minimisation
in decades. It is an example to the rest of the world of a new,
much more effective and evidence-based approach to drug policy than
the ‘war on drugs’.
>17/06/2005
Misuse Of Drugs Amendment Bill Welcomed
The Social Tonics Association of New Zealand
(STANZ) today welcomed the second reading of the Misuse of Drugs
Amendment Bill in Parliament, saying the Bill was a good example
of evidence-based policy development.
>09/06/2005
Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill get Industry Support
The Social Tonics Association of New Zealand
(STANZ) today welcomed a Health Select Committee recommendation
for an amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act that will restrict the
sale of substances that have low level psychoactive effects. STANZ
spokesperson Matt Bowden said the late amendment to the Bill included
many of the safeguards that the sector had requested, but the industry
was wary of the impact of the changes and how the practicalities
would be worked out during the transitional period.
>28/05/2005
Illegal ephedrine the culprit in drug death
The illegal drug ephedrine was the culprit in
the tragic death of a young man in Hawera, not conventional BZP-based
party pills, as is being reported.The
Social Tonics Association of New Zealand today said ephedrine has
been banned for use in New Zealand since 1998, and has been implicated
in a number of deaths around the world.
>25/05/2005
Sensible
legislation on party pills under attack – from within.
"5 years after the introduction of BZP
based pills in NZ, and just two weeks before the Health Select Committee
is due to report back to the Minister for Drug Policy, Hon Jim Anderton,
on regulating party pills, the NZ Food Safety Authority starts offering
an opinion that BZP pills are not currently legal. STANZ suggests
that NZFSA should back off and establishes a legal defense fund
to keep the parliamentary process on track."
>10/05/2005
BZP
claim absolute nonsense.
A NZ agency repeat USA DEA fudged evidence overestimating
potency of BZP by up to 40,000%. STANZ point out that USA DEA made
their decisions on faulty evidence,
and provide proof.
>28/04/2005
BZP claim nonsense.
The Social Tonics Association of New Zealand (STANZ) today criticised the Institute of Environmental Health for repeating grossly incorrect claims about the strength of BZP.
28/04/05
BZP drink withdrawn from dairies.
London Underground agree to withdraw the BZP drink Ammo from dairies
after a complaint that children are confusing it with soft drinks,
but will keep selling it in adult retailers. STANZ point out that
new legislation would fix many of these problems.
>24/04/2005
Evidence that party pills are not a problem.
Evidence that party pills are not a problem The Social Tonics Association of New Zealand (STANZ) will this afternoon demonstrate to the Health Select Committee in Auckland that ‘party pills’ are not
a problem.
>22/02/05
2004
Social tonics industry welcomes regulation.
Social tonics industry welcomes regulation, clamps down on irresponsible players Members of the Social Tonics Association of New Zealand (STANZ) today welcomed the Government’s move to regulate the sale of energy pills as a timely and sensible step.
>18/11/04
Bill
will keep people safe, alive.
STANZ congratulate the government on their evidence based decision
to introduce a new bill allowing safe drug alternatives to be sold
to adults. A milestone in progressive drug policy.
>17/09/2004
Energy
Tonics industry launch.
STANZ announce their intention to launch a Code of Practice, and
Matt calls for public submissions on how Industry should be run.
>31/05/2004
EACD
decision based on evidence.
NZ’s Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs make the decision
that as social tonics containing BZP and TFMPP have been safely
used for 4 years with no ill effects, that instead of prohibiting
them, a new category should be created for safe substances.
>08/04/2004
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