BZP was part of a new wave of new psychoactive substances (NPS) that were known from the early to mid-2000s, were not yet banned by national or international laws, and were sold as “dietary supplements” to evade regulatory scrutiny. It has been sold on a large scale by liquor stores, gas stations, and convenience stores, with little to no restrictions on advertising or age purchase requirements. Between 2002 and 2006, about 20 million BZP pills were sold in New Zealand. – What is BZP? – What does BZP look like? – How is BZP used? – Who abuses BZP? – What are the risks? – What is it called? – Is BZP illegal? BZP itself was originally developed as a potential antidepressant, but it was found to have similar properties to amphetamine and was therefore susceptible to abuse. In the 1980s, it was used in Hungary to make piberolin, a substance marketed as an antidepressant but later withdrawn [2]. In the late 1990s, BZP emerged in New Zealand as a “legal alternative” to MDMA and methamphetamine [3]. In Europe, its use was first reported in Sweden in 1999, but it was not until 2004 that it spread as npS until the introduction of controls on the substance in the European Union in 2008 [4]. Party Pills, also known as “Herbal Highs”, “Pep Pills” and “Dance Pills”, is a colloquial term for a type of recreational drug whose main ingredient is benzylpiperazine (BZP). BZP is banned in some countries, including the United States and Australia, but in many jurisdictions it is more or less restricted. A number of other piperazine derivatives were also sold as ingredients in party pills in New Zealand, and some of these brands were later exported to other countries around the world. Piperazine derivatives sold in this way include BZP, TFMPP, MeOPP, pFPP and a few others. mCPP has rarely been sold as a party pill ingredient because it tends to cause migraines. These piperazines are usually mixed with caffeine and a number of vitamins and binders to make party pills.
In countries like New Zealand, where BZP and related piperazines are immediately banned, commercial interest is growing for piperazine-free “party pills” sold under brand names such as “Head Candy” and “Pick and Mix,” which would produce similar effects with ingredients that circumvent the ban. Common active ingredients (among many others) include caffeine, theobromine, other stimulant alkaloids, octopamine (a chemical that acts as a neurotransmitter with dopamine-like effects), blue lotus extract (Nymphaea caerulea), natural sources of the LSD precursor and lysergic acid amide weak psychedelic agent (illegal in many countries), passionflower (sedative containing a monoamine oxidase inhibitor), Citrus aurantium (contains small amounts of the stimulant Synephrine) and geranium. [1] [2] Some ingredients are not disclosed by some manufacturers. Although sold in various types of retail stores, New Zealand has classified party pills as a “restricted substance” under the Drug Abuse Act and limited them to people over the age of 18. [1]. For more information on legal issues arising from party pills, see Benzylpiperazine. In 1996, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration determined that it was being used recreationally in California. [9] She also reported that BZP was used as an adulterer in illegal drugs.
Around the year 2000, its use increased worldwide[9], which was quickly followed by a legislative review in Europe and the United States. All products containing piperazine salts would be permitted under the Drug Act,[46] and therefore anyone who legally manufactures and supplies them must have the appropriate licenses to do so. BZP is not a piperazine salt, but the mislabelling of BZP products as a “piperazine blend” has led to some lawsuits against suppliers in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, although none have been successful. [47] In May 2009, the Ministry of the Interior announced its intention to ban BZP[48] and launched a consultation on the proposal. [49] In October 2009, it was announced that BZP and related piperazines would be Class C drugs under the Drug Abuse Act effective December 23, 2009. [50] At the end of June 2007, BZP was classified as a Class D drug and its availability will soon be completely banned. As a result, many critics believe this will lead to the return of power to organized crime, as young people will return to the illegal drug MDMA, or also known as ecstasy. Although the ban has never traditionally worked, New Zealand`s status as one of the last countries in the world to legally offer BZP has now disintegrated. Critics argue that the two most harmful drugs in terms of self-harm, alcohol and tobacco, are still legal because they are too deeply rooted in society to be banned. [3] BZP is banned in all Australian states. Victoria, the last state where it was legal, changed its classification on 1 September 2006,[40] when BZP and piperazine analogues became illegal in federal plans adopted by all Australian states and territories. On the recommendation of the EACD, the New Zealand government passed legislation classifying BZP as well as other piperazine derivatives (TFMPP, mCPP, pFPP, MeOPP and MBZP) in Class C of the Drug Abuse Act 1975.
A ban was due to come into force in New Zealand on 18 December 2007, but the amendment to the Act did not come into force until the following year, and the sale of BZP and the other listed piperazines became illegal in New Zealand from 1 April 2008. An amnesty for the possession and use of these drugs was in place until October 2008, when they became completely illegal. [45] The drug was classified as a List I controlled substance in the United States in 2002,[16] according to a DEA report that incorrectly found BZP to be 10 to 20 times more potent than amphetamine,[51] although BZP is actually ten times less effective than dexamphetamine. [52] It is also illegal at the state level in Florida, Oklahoma, Vermont and Virginia. [39] N-benzylpiperazine (BZP) is the active ingredient in recreational pills or “PEPs” used to produce a stimulant and euphoric effect similar to that of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”). BZP primarily affects dopamine neurotransmission in the same way as well-known “drugs of abuse” such as methamphetamine and cocaine, strongly suggesting that BZP has a responsibility for abuse. BZP is illegal in many countries, including the United States of America and Australia, but remains legal in the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand. There has been little research on the neurological consequences of a high dose or chronic exposure to BZP. Here we provide a comprehensive overview of the currently available information on BZP and suggest the need for further research into the mechanisms of action, long-term effects and potentially addictive properties of BZP. BZP was widely marketed among young people as a “high legal” party drug with effects similar to ecstasy – when in reality, its effect was closer to that of amphetamine.
Often in combination with the closely related drug TFMPP, BZP was sold in pill form under “attractive brand names like `Frenzy`, `Rapture` and `Charge`. BZP is largely self-regulating in its action, with many people reporting unpleasant side effects at higher doses or with too frequent use, which prevents overuse. Compared to other stimulants, the side effects of BZP were relatively limited and largely related to indices, including incorrect dosages and the use of other drugs alongside them. Party pills and their legal status are often in the news. Matt Bowden of Stargate International, the original developer of these pills and now an industry spokesperson, is regularly consulted when problems with party pills arise in public. In one phase, Alison Mau, a Prime TV news anchor, went so far as to test the effects of some party pills. A ClubStargate clinical trial for a pill called Ease was suspended because it contained methylone, which falls under similar New Zealand laws. It has been argued that the ban on BZP has directly led to an increase in street prices and a reduction in availability.
However, it is not clear whether the decline in consumption was mainly due to a ban on supply or a collapse in demand, as many users simply resorted to the use of other stimulants such as ecstasy and amphetamines.