TOP STORY: Shops caught in under-age pills sting

By David Dunham
Party pill popping by under-18s in Tauranga is widespread - and an investigation by the Bay of Plenty Times has revealed that several stores in the Western Bay are prepared to illegally sell the product to a minor.
Teenagers as young as 16 from across the Bay have told us that taking at least one pill every weekend is routine and that buying them is as easy as buying sweets.
Users say they do not know what the pills contain, what safety advice to follow nor what the potentially dangerous side effects are.
But perhaps of greater concern to parents is that four out of eight outlets across Tauranga and Mount Maunganui targeted in a Bay of Plenty Times sting were willing to sell the restricted pills to a 16-year-old school girl without even asking for proof of her age.
It is illegal to sell party pills to under-18s because the common ingredients such as benzylpiperazine (BZP) - which has been used as a worming agent in the agricultural industry - are restricted under the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Act 2005.
If found guilty of breaking this law, a fine of $2000 can be imposed. To date it is believed there have been no prosecutions in the Bay.
On Wednesday, we revealed that energy pills were handed out to children as young as 12 at a Bay beach competition, angering parents. On Thursday we reported that a sex attacker blamed his offending on party pills.
In our investigation, conducted this week, an under-age girl entered eight stores and asked if party pills were sold.
In three, she was immediately asked if she had ID to prove she was 18, upon which she said she hadn't and left, while another asked after the pills were scanned.
But at four other outlets she was shown what pills were available and chose a brand that contained BZP. The packets, some of which were in a locked case and cost about $25 for a packet of two pills, were then scanned, placed on the counter and the girl was asked to pay.
At this point she said she had forgotten to bring any money and left, saying she would return to buy them.
The brands she had chosen were Silver Bullet, X and Hammered, all of which contain BZP and clearly state on the packets they are not to be sold to minors.
All four stores were later asked why they had not asked the girl for ID.
One retailer - who asked the girl what brand she wanted, scanned the product and then told her the price - said he asked for ID only when the customer went to pay, while another said she thought the girl was 18.
We have chosen not to name the stores for legal reasons and have also decided to protect the identity of the girl used in the investigation.
The girl's mother was "disgusted" at the stores for being prepared to sell her daughter the restricted drug.
"I bet they did not even give it a second thought. Sixteen-year-olds are not mature enough to handle such a drug. It is really worrying."
The girl said she was shocked at how close she came to buying party pills but said "most people" her age were taking them - a view widely supported by 16 and 17-year-olds spoken to.
One Tauranga 17-year-old who has taken party pills containing BZP - the side effects of which include convulsions and hallucinations - said people her age and younger did not look at what was in the pills.
She also said most people took them when the effects of alcohol wore off so they could keep partying. "People also take them and keep drinking because it increases the buzz you get."
The girl said banning party pills would not stop people from taking them but added the legal age for buying them should not drop lower than 18.
One 16-year-old said her friends always combined drinking alcohol and taking party pills - a practice that has been reported as increasing the risk of harmful side effects.
"Everyone is doing it, mainly at weekends. Most people started taking one pill and then drinking but they seem to be moving on to taking two pills."
Another under-age girl said pills were readily available to buy at parties and that males aged 18 and over usually sold them.
Western Bay Police Inspector Bob Burns said police did not "actively enforce" the restrictions on party pill sales but said action would be taken if reports were received of an outlet selling them to people under 18.
The Ministry of Health, which carries out stings for the sale of alcohol and cigarettes to minors, was "concerned" about minors being able to buy party pills.
Graeme Gillespie, group manager of communicable disease and environmental health policy, said the ministry was moving to more active enforcement over the sale of party pills to young people.
The pills are often sold in packs of four that cost between $20 and $50. About eight million pills are believed to have been sold since they became legal in 2000 at outlets such as adult and liquor stores, tattoo parlours and some dairies.
It is a $26 million industry coming under increasing scrutiny, with the Government in consultation over whether BZP should be banned. Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton has written to manufacturers and retailers for their views and will reveal whether he plans to push for a ban when submissions close at the end of February.
The move follows advice from the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs recommending BZP be classified as a Class C1 controlled drug. It found the pills can have potentially severe reactions such as seizures, while common side effects are nausea and insomnia.
The maximum fine for selling a restricted substance to a minor is $2000.