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Party pill cart gets flak

City Stop, a chain of convenience stores, has introduced a series of carts, which can be wheeled into the city centre.

One of the carts, the Energy Cart, sells a range of legal party drugs, energy drinks, energy bars, condoms and phone cards.

It is set up in Courtenay Place on Wednesday and Thursday nights from 6.30pm tilltill about 2am, and on Friday and Saturday nights tilltill 3am.

The appearance of the cart comes as increasing numbers of shops, including clothing shops, stock the pills, which are pitched as a legal alternative to drugs. Cuba St shop Cosmic Corner has a 24-hour booth selling the pills. Some websites will deliver the pills within 24 hours.

Party pills, such as Rapture, Charge and Exodus, are legal in New Zealand, but many brands contain the chemical benzylpiperazine, which is illegal in the United States and parts of Australia.

Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton has said he would soon introduce an amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill, to set up a new classification for the pills.

Welltrust executive director Pauline Gardiner said it "beggars belief" that a cart was wheeled into Wellington city at night to sell legal party drugs.

"Everybody's worried about alcohol and look at what we're allowing here."

Ms Gardiner, a former MP, said Welltrust counsellors had met teenagers who had tried the pills and had concerns about them. One student had taken a party pill and believed she was still suffering from the effects six months later.

Ms Gardiner was concerned the pills were creating a "pill-popping culture" that signalled to young people that they needed drugs to have a good time.

She was also worried about the availability of party pills to children. "People are out to make a buck, that tells you that they want to be in on the fast track and don't care who they sell it to."

City Stop managing director Tony Loveday said he would not apologise for selling the pills, because they were legal.

City Stop had a written policy, displayed in its shops and carts, of not selling the pills to people under 18, even though, by law, they could be sold to anyone. "I believe the laws need to be tightened up. There's dress shops and all kinds of people (selling them). A lot of people haven't got a clue.

"We've always been really responsible. We're just bringing products to people when they want them."

City Stop plans to introduce a range of carts, including a newspaper and magazine cart, an ice-cream cart and a cart that would cater for tourists.

The cart concept was common in the US and the carts would be franchised and set up around the inner city, Mr Loveday said.

A Wellington City Council spokesperson said the council had no problem with the carts as long as they adhered to hygiene standards.