Amphetamine: The Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs (EACD) Advice to the Minister

Publications

Amphetamine: The Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs (EACD) Advice to the Minister

Date of publication: May 2004

This paper presents evidence on the risk of harm associated with amphetamine.

Amphetamine is currently a controlled drug under Part 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Act's Second Schedule.

This paper offers arguments in support of reclassifying amphetamine under Part 1 of the Second Schedule of the Act, so as to better reflect the risk of harm associated with the drug.

Key factors that support this position include:

Increasing prevalence of amphetamine use and importation into New Zealand
Clear evidence of the high risks of harm associated with amphetamine, and limited number of therapeutic applications for the drug
Evidence of drug substitution between amphetamine and other ATS drugs
Need for decisive police powers to tackle street-level amphetamine offending
Links between New Zealand's illicit amphetamine market and organised crime

Worrying implications of the increasing use of amphetamines for road safety.

Document availability

This publication is available in PDF format.

EACD advice on Amphetamine (PDF, 380 KB)

National Drug Policy New Zealand

Publications

Amphetamine: The Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs (EACD) Advice to the Minister