Pubdate: Thu, 15 Feb 2007
Source: Press, The (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2007 The Christchurch Press Company Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.press.co.nz/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/349
Author: Beck Eleven

HOSPITALISED DJ'S PARENTS DEMAND PARTY-PILL BAN

The anxious parents of Greymouth man Ben Rodden will not know until 
tomorrow whether their son has been left with permanent damage after 
his near fatal brush with party pills at the weekend.

Wendy and Kevin Rodden have called for the Government to ban party 
pills after their son's collapse.

Overnight complications may delay doctors bringing Ben out of his 
induced coma in Christchurch Hospital.

The 23-year-old has been fighting for his life since early Sunday 
morning, when he collapsed after taking party pills while working as 
a DJ at a dance "rave" at the Greymouth Regent Theatre.

Ben started shaking uncontrollably and had breathing difficulties.

Friends poured cold water on Rodden before flagging down a passing 
police car for help.

He was taken to Grey Base Hospital and later flown to Christchurch 
Hospital's intensive care unit, where he remains on life support.

Friends told parents their son had been drinking beer earlier that 
night, but tests have so far revealed only the stimulant 
benzylpiperazine (BZP) and caffeine in his system.

The pill type is marketed under the name Torque.

Mrs Rodden said today that Ben may have taken another kind of party 
pill, perhaps one of the borderline types believed to contain traces 
of the class A drug ecstasy.

"We just don't know," said Constable Mark Dixon, of Greymouth police.

He said police were still verifying the facts of what happened on 
Saturday night before proceeding with any investigation.

"We're very mindful of the situation, and are awaiting the toxicology reports."

Rodden's mother said she had gone public with their story to warn of 
the dangers of party pills and to ask the Government to consider an 
outright ban.

"He's just lying there. He doesn't look like my son. He's got tubes 
coming in and out of him and he keeps going rigid," Wendy Rodden said.

"We knew he'd taken party pills before and every time we'd given him 
the lecture, but at the end of the day you can't follow them around.

"We just don't want any parent or young one to go through this."

Mrs Rodden said that as Ben's friends had also been taking party 
pills, the family wanted them to see him in his hospital bed, as a warning.

"It's given them a huge fright. They shouldn't be taking anything - nothing."

Christchurch emergency medicine specialist Michael Ardagh said he had 
not dealt with the Rodden case, but taking party pills was like 
playing a game of Russian roulette.

"You really don't know what you're getting," he said.

"There's the BZP end of the scale and then there are pills mixed with 
things like ecstasy or methamphetamine.

"They cause problems from anxiety to panic attacks and paranoia.

"They can cause seizures, which lead to airway and breathing 
problems. The low oxygen will damage vital organs, including the most 
sensitive, the brain."

Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton said he was sad to hear about 
the case but he was required by law to go through a three-month 
consultation period before deciding how to class the drug.

The consultation will finish at the end of next month.

The Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs has recommended BZP be made 
illegal after research studies found party pill users suffered 
vomiting, dizziness and hallucinations even on recommended doses.

"BZP is just a cattle drench," Anderton said. "If everyone was 
honest, they'd just say, 'Come here to get your cattle drench for a high'."

He said he had issued "the strongest possible warnings" about party 
pills after research presented to the committee.

National MP Jacqui Dean said it was unacceptable that Mr Anderton 
intended waiting four months before taking the issue to Cabinet.

"Here we have a young man on life support, while worried doctors in 
Christchurch are watching rising numbers of party pill users end up 
in hospital."

Last year, a national household survey of 2000 people, aged 13 to 45, 
found one in five had tried party pills.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine