Is the party over for pill poppers?

By KELLY BLANCHARD in Rotorua
Rotorua retailers who stock 'legal high' party pills are happy the Government is fast-tracking plans to legalise an age restriction.

But the new law, expected in place before this year's election, will make little difference to major suppliers of the legal highs, they told the Daily Post.

They say they are already displaying R18 signs in their stores and asking for identification from young-looking shoppers, as recommended by the Ministry of Health.

The controversial pills were this week blamed for the death of 29-year-old Aaron Werder at Foxton Beach.

The Levin coroner said a lethal cocktail of energy-boosting herbal tablets and alcohol caused Mr Werder's heart failure on March 7 last year.

His father Graham said he hoped his son's death would warn others off mixing party pills and alcohol.



"I hope others can learn from this tragedy. Young people can take the pills in all innocence and find themselves in real trouble," he said.

Rotorua retailer David Young, owner of Skin Graft Leather and Lace, said that as the law stood, he could not refuse to sell the pills to a young teenager.

"We always ask for identification but we can't refuse to sell them if they challenge us. If they took me to court over it, they'd probably win."



Mr Young said the party pills had taken off in recent years and now accounted for about 30 percent of his business.

"On Fridays and Saturdays as soon as we open the doors people are coming in to get their fix for the weekend."

Although Mr Young said the distributors were trying to outdo each other by providing harder hitting highs, he denied the pills were bad.

"They make people happy. If you are drinking you can get quite aggro but with party pills, you can't get aggressive because you are too happy."

Mr Young said distributors had told him he had the largest selection of pills in New Zealand with more than 50 varieties on sale.

"Overseas backpackers come in and they can't believe what they see because most of them are banned in other places around the world."

Wild Things owner Sue Rutherford, from Rotorua, said the age restriction was a good idea.

"Young people tend to overdo the dosage and not stick to what is recommended."

Peysha Saul from Stardust Creations said her store always asked people for identification.

She said the party pill distributors often did checks on the stores to ensure they were not selling them to minors.

Part of the new legislation could see the party pills being banned from liquor stores.

Mrs Saul said she agreed with that because the pills should not be mixed with alcohol.

"That's where all the complications come in."

Mrs Saul said the pills were becoming more popular, particularly among middle-aged workers who used them to keep awake during night shifts.

"People trying to give up illegal drugs also buy them, which is good to see they are trying to do something good."

Dr Mazen Shasha, who is the head of the Rotorua Hospital emergency department, said he backed the Government's move "100 percent".

He said he had seen patients who were suspected to be under the influence of the party pills who had injured themselves or who were suffering from heart palpitations and clammy hands.

Dr Shasha suspected the number of people suffering from such symptoms and injuries would drop once the Government's new legislation came in.

"I would like to see it taken a step further where if it can be proven that they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, they should not be awarded ACC. Why should ACC pay out to people who are not sensible?"



Birds Liquor Save in Rotorua stocks the party pills but declined to comment about the proposed law changes.



Last weekend an 18-year-old Christchurch woman nearly died after swallowing 10 party pills. She was the third young person admitted to Christchurch Hospital within the month with seizures brought on by the pills.addtional reporting NZPA