Green Party welcomes Govt u-turn on LD50 test
 
The Green Party is welcoming the Government’s u-turn on the use of the controversial LD50 test to verify the safety of party pills, but is calling for Peter Dunne to reject all testing of party drugs on animals.  
 
The Government was considering using the LD50 test as part of its new safety testing regime for party pills and it could have been part of legislation to be introduced into Parliament before the end of the year.
 
The LD50 test gives increasing doses of drugs to animals, including dogs, until they find the dosage that kills 50 percent of the test population.
 
“The Government’s u-turn is good, but is only a partial one. Official documents give no options for testing regimes that don’t involve harming and killing animals to test for safety,” said Green Party animal welfare spokesperson Mojo Mathers.
 
“Peter Dunne should instruct the Ministry of Health to develop testing regimes that do not use animals.
 
“There is compelling evidence from around the world that there are testing regimes that do not involve animals but which are able to demonstrate the level of safety required.
 
“We should rule out all animal testing for party pills. There is no overriding public good associated with these drugs that would justify animal cruelty in their testing.
 
“It is positive that Peter Dunne has responded to the public backlash against the use of animals in testing party drugs.  He now needs to ensure all animals are protected from unnecessary cruelty when the final testing regime is determined.”

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>