Health Select Committee report on Misuse of Drugs Act May 2005
Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill (No 3) (186-2) and Supplementary Order Paper 298 (23 May 2005)
The bill as introduced amends two main areas of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 (the principal Act) and the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Act 1978 (the amendment Act). The bill allows presumption of supply matters to be amended by Order in Council, subject to an affirmative resolution procedure. It also amends the presumption of supply quantity for methamphetamine, and adds a Ministry of Justice official to the membership of the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs.
The Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs was concerned that there was no appropriate classification in the principal Act for substances, such as BZP.
BZP may have negative health effects but are at the lower end of the regulatory spectrum and do not warrant regulation as controlled drugs.
