Pubdate: Mon, 18 Apr 2005 Source: Wairarapa Times-Age (New Zealand) Copyright: 2005 Wairarapa Times-Age Company Limited Contact: http://times-age.co.nz/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3292 Author: Piers Fuller Cited: Social Tonics Association of New Zealand: http://www.stanz.org.nz COLLEGE ACTS ON 'HERBAL DRUGS' SEVERAL students at Wairarapa College have been reprimanded for taking "herbal drugs". Although the over the counter pills are legal, the school says it has a no drugs policy. Waitara College principal Mike Schwass said the school has had meeting with the parents of the students involved and he has talked to the police to ascertain the legality of such substances. Mr Schwass said he would prefer not to comment on any individual case involving particular pupils and that the students would be dealt with through the education act as it stands. Wairarapa College has a no drug policy and each student has been counselled about the seriousness of their actions. The controversial party pills can legally be purchased from dairies, bottle stores and service stations to any one over 18 years of age (depending on store policy). They have been in the news nationally because of young people being admitted to hospitals with abnormal heart rates and heightened states of agitation. The active ingredient in many of these "herbal highs" has been outlawed in Australia. Last year New Zealand's expert advisory committee on drugs ruled benzylpiperazine (BZP) - the active ingredient in the pills - did not pose a significant enough risk to be classified as a Class A, B or C controlled drug. The committee recommended placing some controls on the drug to stop it being sold to under-18s. The BZP ruling has done little to stop growing public opposition to the pills and those who sell them. In Christchurch, two communities are protesting against the presence of shops selling the pills and the gas nitrous oxide. BZP is now on Australia's strictest schedule. Mandatory jail sentences accompany convictions for possessions of substances in this class without appropriate licenses. To meet concerns over party pills, the majority of manufacturers formed the Social Tonics Association of New Zealand (Stanz) last year to self-regulate the industry. Their code includes not selling to under-18s, product-labelling requirements, limiting the amount of active ingredients used in the pills and educating users on safe use. Stanz chairman Matt Bowden said making the pills illegal would drive them underground and turn people to harder drugs. "America taught us last century that alcohol prohibition led to Al Capone," he said. "In this case it would lead tens of thousands of people back to P which we know causes serious problems." The effects of taking the herbal pills are similar to overdosing on caffeine, creating difficulty sleeping and irritability the day after taking them. Masterton Mayor Bob Francis said the feedback he had received concerning the proliferation of herbal pills and their effects had been that they was a potential health risk and any use should be discouraged. "From the information I have received there is certainly wide use in this region and that there are potential dangers from it. There are potentially health issues in some situations, such as causing the heart rate to race, and I would certainly discourage their use," he said. Mr Francis received a letter from Grey District mayor Tony Kokshoorn asking him to back his proposed ban. Mr Kokshoorn is leading the lobbying effort to tell the government the pills are a menace in their communities. Last month he wrote to all mayors. He said most supported him.