Iain

LEES-GALLOWAY

Associate Spokesperson for Health

2 August 2011 MEDIA STATEMENT
Wiggle room in drug ban a concern

The response of the synthetic drug industry to new legislation banning their product is cause for concern, says Labour’s Associate Health spokesperson Iain Lees-Galloway.

“While we support any moves to deal with the issue, it’s disquieting to see makers and suppliers already indicating that there are significant loopholes in Peter Dunne’s stop-gap measures, and that they will use them to circumvent the ban.

“Certainly there is potential for new ingredients and new drugs to come under scrutiny as they come on to the market. However, sellers and manufacturers are now signalling they will simply introduce new products every time one is banned, placing enormous pressure on the agencies tasked with monitoring the crackdown,” Iain Lees-Galloway said.

“There are still a lot of questions around response times and around how quickly new substances can be assessed.

“The Minister has taken too long to deal with the problem. Labour raised it with him six months ago, and even provided him with samples of a ‘legal high’.

“We said then that the onus of proof should be reversed to require the industry to prove its products are safe before distribution, and we’re saying it again.

“Let’s get it right now by implementing the Law Commission’s recommendations rather than just applying a band-aid to the problem,” Iain Lees-Galloway said.

ENDS

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