Are dance pills doomed?
I hate to say it, but we may be hearing the first death knells for the New Zealand legal high industry. Having set up a herbal high company over 11 years ago, and watched irresponsible cowboy merchants cause the industry to be shut down in the UK, I'm feeling an incredible sense of deja vu. The worst thing is that responsible manufacturers like Matt Bowden (of dancepills.com & Angelcare), the pioneers of the industry may lose their livelihoods, because of people diving in to make a fast buck. Now some bunch of muppets have brought out monster strength pills with 250 mg of BZP in them. I wait with baited breath for the first deaths.

The only time I ever took more than a quarter dose of these things (a 'normal pill' contains around 40mg) I was really ill. I'd taken 4 pills at the start of the night and then another 2 just before I left the club, making it a dose and half (around 240 mg). By the time I got home every time I tried to stand up my legs were going out from underneath me and I kept blacking out. Bear in mind that I've taken some pretty funky substances in my time both herbal and chemical (I used to test smart drugs, and herbal highs) and I have never been affected like that. The comedown was incredibly nasty (worse than speed) and lasted until the next weekend.

At the last Big Day Out the St John's ambulance crews were dealing with idiots taking ten times the recommended dose. I shudder to think what ten of these things will do. Interestingly all the feedback on the dance boards has been resoundingly negative. Their dreadful commercial spamming of the boards hasn't helped, and their attitude seems very clear. I quote from a new dance commuty that has popped up suspiciously just after this company has been told to go away by everyone else:

"Well usally (sic) most of us are munters... I have a feeling that BZP is going to be banned anyway..."

Oh dear. Here we go again.