Fine Gael National Press Office Press Release

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2 young people in psychiatric unit as a result of herbal ecstasy - Healy Eames

Healy Eames calls on Minister Harney to introduce control legislation

Speaking in the Seanad, Senator Fidelma Healy Eames said emergency legislation must be brought before the Dáil to deal with the proliferation of herbal ecstasy which has become widely available and which poses a very real threat to the mental health of our young people.

"Parents, young people and addiction counsellors have all recently brought to my attention the dangers and wide availability of herbal ecstasy, commonly known as the 'Party Pill', which has recently been the cause of two young people receiving psychiatric treatment in Galway.

"Herbal ecstasy, which contains BZP = Benzylpiperazine, a recreational drug which is said to have euphoric and stimulating properties comparable to amphetamine, is freely available in 'Head Shops', which sell drug related paraphernalia, in Galway and throughout the country.

"This drug is being dangerously and falsely promoted under the banner of a 'natural high' when the reality is that two youngsters are currently being given psychiatric treatment as a result of this substance. The mental effects brought on by the drug are extremely worrying and range from headaches, fatigue and memory problems, to acute psychoses, seizures and renal difficulties.

"Despite the fact that this substance has been flagged with the authorities for the last number of years, nothing has been done to prohibit its easy availability. A young man I spoke to in his early 20s compared the effects of taking real ecstasy with herbal ecstasy by saying:

'Real ecstasy fills you with happiness and happy thoughts, you love everyone and everything for about two to three hours...then you 'come down' where you revert back to normal but the next day you're slightly depressed. With herbal ecstasy you don't come up or go down, you're kind of caught in this weird limbo. You lose your sense of time. You can't sleep, even if you wanted to. You could stay awake for three days on it and your mind will be racing. It's not happy either, it's really, really depressing but in a strange way. It's hard to describe but believe me it is hell on earth. A lot of people take it by accident thinking it's the real ecstasy.'

"This substance is extremely dangerous and is posing a serious threat to the mental health of our young people. Minister Harney is aware of its existence and has said she will bring forward legislation to address the issue next March. The situation, however, requires much greater urgency.

"To make matters worse, I understand that HSE staff have been warned against talking about the effects of herbal ecstasy and that staff members have been threatened with dismissal if orders are disobeyed. This is equally dangerous behaviour by our health authority as the HSE is the body responsible for highlighting the serious health effects of this substance.

"Minister Harney must take legislative action immediately. The mental health and personal safety of our young people demands it."

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