Review
BZP-party pills: A review of research on benzylpiperazine as a recreational drug

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2010.12.002Get rights and content

Abstract

Background

BZP-party pills are yet another ‘designer drug’ which mimics the stimulant qualities of amphetamines and MDMA/Ecstasy. As legal markets for the substance have developed in the last decade (especially amongst young people) so has public and governmental concern.

Methods

This article provides a summary of the available international research on benzylpiperazine (BZP) and its popular use in the compound form known as ‘party pills’. Through performing an analysis of the available medical and social scientific literature, the review outlines current knowledge on the compound, the prevalence of usage of BZP-party pills, as well as the associated harms, risks and rationales for use of the drug.

Results

Despite moves towards legislative control of BZP-party pills, the evidence presented suggests limited social and health harms associated with the drug, although research on long term effects is a significant gap in the literature. It also remains inconclusive as to whether BZP-party pills act as a ‘gateway’ to illegal drugs or, conversely, play a role in harm reduction with illegal drug users turning to legal alternatives; there is some evidence for both positions.

Conclusion

With increasing controls of BZP-party pills, and with the increasing numbers of ‘legal highs’ and new designer drugs on the market, we conclude that new legal alternatives will continue to surface to replace the drug in the future. Considering a harm reduction approach to drug taking, it is suggested that policy makers consider the creation of a legal holding category which restricts and regulates the market in legal highs whilst the social and health harms associated with each drug can be thoroughly investigated.

Introduction

As part of the recent growth in ‘legal highs’, benzylpiperazine (BZP) was first used as a recreational substance in Europe in 1999 (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2009, Wikstrom et al., 2004); markets have since developed in a number of countries including Bulgaria, the US, Australia, Sweden, Japan and South Africa. Between 2000 and 2008, however, New Zealand was the only country to develop a significant legal market for what has become known as ‘BZP-party pills’ (Bellamy, 2007, Social Tonics Association of New Zealand, 2005, Wilkins and Sweetsur, 2010). During this period, the country also produced a number of pieces of research on the drug which, together, make up a body of knowledge unmatched elsewhere in the world. This was recently acknowledged in a risk assessment on BZP carried out by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) (2009, p. 39) which stated, ‘without doubt, BZP has been most prevalent in New Zealand … It is for this reason that much of the epidemiological and pharmacotoxicological data on BZP originate in that country’. A summation of the research from New Zealand as well as from other countries is outlined in this article. The legal trade in BZP-party pills was halted in New Zealand in 2008 following the introduction of new government legislation, re-classifying this group of drugs as Class C1 and, consequently, making it illegal to manufacture, import, export, supply, sell or consume BZP-party pills and related substances. By this point the BZP-party pill industry in New Zealand was worth an estimated NZ$50 million (approximately 22 million GBP) per year (Vince, 2006).

Section snippets

Method

Our goals for performing a literature search on BZP-party pills were twofold. Firstly, there was a need to review and catalogue the studies previously undertaken on the psychoactive properties of the drug (that is, studies that profiled the drug's effect on humans rather than articles related to BZP's pharmacological and technical qualities alone). Secondly, there was a need to retrieve scientific and grey literature which offered secondary analysis and further commentary of the available

The substance

It has been mistakenly reported in the scientific literature and popular media that BZP was previously investigated as a potential antihelmic (Campbell et al., 1973, Russell, 2006, Vince, 2006). It is likely that the confusion arises due to the product's similarity to ‘piperazine’, which is used as a worming agent (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2008). Another notable erroneous association with BZP is its ‘herbal’ origins or ‘natural’ composition, despite the substance

Discussion

It may well be the case that, without its legal status, BZP-party pills loses its main advantage in the party drugs market as young people turn instead to other designer drugs such as MDMA/Ecstasy. Certainly there is evidence from New Zealand that the use of MDMA/Ecstasy has continued to grow over the last 10 years or so, though the impact of the criminalisation of BZP-party pills on this trend is as yet unclear (Wilkins, Griffiths, & Sweetsur, 2010). There is also a concern from such users

Conclusion

In undertaking this literature review, it is apparent that much of the published research on BZP-party pills has been undertaken in New Zealand (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2009). This is not surprising given the size of the legal market which developed in this county prior to the substance being banned (Wilkins & Sweetsur, 2010). However, evidence of increasing international interest in the substance is noticeable in the body of literature emerging from other

Funding

Funding for a Research Assistant (RB) to complete the initial literature review for this article was provided by the University of Auckland's Faculty of Arts ‘Faculty Research Development Fund’, General Programme No. 3622727. The Faculty of Arts had no further role in the study design, collection, analysis, interpretation, or reporting of this research; they were also not involved in the decision to submit this paper for publication.

Conflict of interest

Bruce Cohen has no conflict of interest to declare. Rachael Butler has previously worked as a Research Fellow in the School of Pharmacy on the New Zealand government-funded project, Legal party pills and their use by young people in New Zealand. She has worked on a number of resulting publications which are referred to in this article.

References (44)

  • C. Balmelli et al.

    Fatal brain edema after ingestion of ecstasy and benzylpiperazine

    Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift

    (2001)
  • P. Bellamy

    Legal party pills in New Zealand

    (2007)
  • R. Butler et al.

    Highs and lows: Patterns of use, positive and negative effects of benzylpiperazine-containing party pills (BZP-party pills) amongst young people in New Zealand

    Harm Reduction Journal

    (2007)
  • C. Bye et al.

    A comparison of the effects of 1-benzylpiperazine and dexamphetamine on human performance tests

    European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology

    (1973)
  • H. Campbell et al.

    Comparison of the effects of dexamphetamine and 1-benzylpiperazine in former addicts

    European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology

    (1973)
  • K. Dawkins

    The great BZP hoax

    New Zealand Law Journal

    (2008)
  • S. Elliott et al.

    Investigation of the first deaths in the United Kingdom involving the detection and quantitation of the Piperazines BZP and 3-TFMPP

    Journal of Analytical Toxicology

    (2008)
  • European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. (2007). Risk assessment report of a new psychoactive...
  • European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. (2008). Council decision: ‘Appropriate controls’ for BZP—new...
  • European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. (2009). Report on the risk assessment of BZP in the framework...
  • Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs. (2004). The Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs (EACD). Advice to the Minister on:...
  • Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs. (2006a). Further EACD advice on benzylpiperazine (BZP) and related substances....
  • Cited by (36)

    • Availability and supply of novel psychoactive substances

      2021, Novel Psychoactive Substances: Classification, Pharmacology and Toxicology
    • Benzylpiperazine: "A messy drug"

      2016, Drug and Alcohol Dependence
      Citation Excerpt :

      In 2007, an estimated 5 million BZP pills were sold in New Zealand (Gee and Fountain, 2007). The majority of epidemiological and pharmacotoxicological data, including patterns of use, motivations and positive and adverse effects, pertaining to BZP use, emanates from New Zealand during 2000–2008 (Cohen and Butler, 2011). Students and workers, such as shift workers and truck drivers, abused the drug to increase alertness and enhance their physical and mental performance (Butler and Sheridan, 2007).

    • The impact of New Zealand's 2008 prohibition of piperazine-based party pills on young people's substance use: Results of a longitudinal, web-based study

      2013, International Journal of Drug Policy
      Citation Excerpt :

      After a second EACD review of the available evidence on BZP-related harms, and a period of public consultation, BZP-containing party pills and related substances were prohibited in New Zealand from 1st April 2008; the amendment provided for a six-month amnesty period in which possession of small quantities for personal use was permitted (Misuse of Drugs Classification of BZP Amendment Bill, 2008). BZP has subsequently been banned in many other countries (Cohen & Butler, 2011; European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2008a, 2008b; Hillebrand et al., 2010). While many of the existing studies provide some insight into patterns of use, we sought to obtain a measure of change in BZP use over time.

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text