An Open Letter To Peter Power TD

While not strictly related to cannabis, I think this letter is worth reading because it raises some valid arguments against the 'banning' or prohibition of certain products as an effective policy.

Peter Power is Limerick East TD for Fianna Fail. He is to "raise the dangers of so-called ‘party pills’ [containing BZP] in the Dáil as part of efforts to ban the sale of the legal drugs which simulate the effects of cocaine, LSD and ecstasy".

Dear Mr. Power,

My name is Kiel Cathers and I am writing regarding your proposals to ban 'party pills' in Irish head shops. I have a problem with this not as a consumer of those products but as a passionate advocate of drug policy reform. I think that drug prohibition creates more problems than it seeks to solve, for example our criminal gang problem is a direct consequence of drug prohibition, drugs being the source of income and power for these gangs. Taking drugs out of the hands of these gangs and into a regulated system of sale would effectively end their existence. So it is for these reasons that I think regulation would be a much more rational route with respect to party pills.

As for the pills themselves I did some research into BZP and found some interesting information. “1 in every 45 (2.2%) last year users of BZP in New Zealand is classed as dependent upon it, although 97.9% of users said that "it would not be difficult to stop using legal party pills", and 45.2% of people who reported using both BZP and illegal drugs such as methamphetamine reported that they used BZP so that they did not have to use methamphetamine, which was perceived as more harmful. Studies undertaken on animals have indicated that BZP can substitute for methamphetamine in addicted rats, although it is ten times less potent and produces correspondingly weaker addictive effects.” – This is interesting since recently a senior policeman in the UK reported that crystal meth was in every city in the UK. It probably won’t be long before it proliferates here. BZP seems to have some preventive measures. Finally, I have a few of questions if you don’t mind:

If banning a drug is the most effective means of dealing with its negative effects on the person, why haven't you called for a similar motion in the Dail banning alcohol and tobacco? It would certainly make sense, considering they kill more people each year than all illegal drugs combined.

What prompted the desire to ban these pills - have any deaths resulted from them? Or are considerable numbers of people addicted?

You say the pills are unregulated, but banning them will place them in the hands of somewhere a lot less regulated and monitored: the black market. Why not introduce legislation which would require warning labels on the packets, or require head shops to operate a strict over 18s policy (no i.d no sale - like we're supposed to have with alcohol and cigarettes)?

Many thanks for reading and I encourage you to reconsider.

Sincerely,

Kiel Cathers

If you'd like to get in touch with Mr. Power, his e-mail is Peter.Power@Oireachtas.ie