A controversial "party pill" that was the reason behind a series of raids nationwide last week, is still being sold in Head shops across the city, despite protest from Government officials and members of the public.
Just days after the raids hit headlines and a senator called for the Government to bring emergency legislation before the Dáil, the controversial legal drug, herbal ecstasy, is still on Head shop shelves across Galway city.
Herbal ecstasy, which contains the legal drug Benzylpiperazine (BZP ), is said to have effects similar to those of real ecstacy, including insomnia and depression. BZP, which is banned in a number of countries including the US, Australia, Japan, Greece, Italy, Malta, Denmark and Sweden, is still legal in Ireland but is due to be banned in the coming months following the introduction of formal regulation of the drug by the EU Council of Members in March 2008, which gave EU states 12 months to put legislation in place to ban the substance.
Speaking in the Seanad last week, Senator Fidelma Healy Eames called on Health Minister Mary Harney to deal with the situation urgently after reports emerged at a meeting in the city that two Galway youths had to undergo psychiatric treatment after using herbal ecstacy.
"One of the youths getting treatment had 200 empty packets of BZP in his room. He told his parent it was okay because it was legal," said Senator Healy Eames. "The proper information needs to be out there for these young people.
"The words 'herbal' and 'party pill' are dangerous. People don't take it seriously when they hear that." said Senator Healy Eames, who spoke with a number of current and former users over the past few days, many of whom supported her stance.
"I spoke to one young man who used to wait for the shop to open every morning. He'd be at the door at 10am every morning," she said. "He lost three stone using the pills and one day he woke up in Cork with no recollection of how he got there.
"This has been a concern for a year and a half and still nothing has been done. We need action," said the Senator, who said she has had no response from Minister Harney on the matter.
Speaking to Galway First, the Department of Health and Children, who deal with the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, said they are currently “awaiting legal advice on the drafting of the legislation necessary to introduce control measures here”. The representative said the Department expects to have the legislation in place within the timeframe of March 2009.
But what will it mean for the city's devoted herbal ecstasy users?
"Sure, they'll ban it," said one worker at a city Head shop. "But just like every other legal drug they ban, there will be something else replacing it within a week."
