There is now a list of drug manufacturers and dealers in New Zealand engaged in the production of synthetic recreational drugs. The list is dominated by adult shops, while the names of some of them such as Pillz & Thrillz sound like their specialty is getting their customers high.

Wellington passed a few weeks ago a law that legalises and regulates synthetic recreational drugs through a system similar to that used to licence regular medicine. While the licensing regime is still under way, firms already engaged in the business of producing or selling these drugs could apply for an interim licence.

The Health Ministry just published the list of firms that applied for the interim licence.

Included in the roster is the trade name applied for such as Blueberry Crush, Jungle Juice, Fu_kd up and POW. The brand names must be accompanied by a list of active ingredients as well as the concentration of the active ingredients in each dose.

For example, illusion Connoisseur has PB22-5F with a concentration of 45mg per gramme as its active ingredient, while illusion Massiff has a slightly lower dosage of the same ingredient.

A report by The Economist said that 13 companies in the list have addresses that indicate it is residential, while some are in business parks.

The list is expected to make the job of NZ law enforcers easier since licenced manufacturers must follow the agreed safety standards and retailers must obey strict rules such as not selling synthetic recreational drugs to children.

New Zealand is paving the way in synthetic drug control, making this initiative a historic experiment that could be a global benchmark that other countries grappling with the problem of the proliferation of recreational drugs could follow.

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