Psychoactive Substances Act 2013

For the UK law, see Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.

Psychoactive Substances Act
New Zealand Parliament
Royal assent17 July 2013
Commenced18 July 2013
Legislative history
Bill citationGovernment Bill 100—1
Introduced byPeter Dunne
First reading9 April 2013
Status: Current legislation

The Psychoactive Substances Act 2013 is a law in New Zealand. The purpose of the Act is to regulate the availability of psychoactive substances in New Zealand to protect the health of, and minimise harm to, individuals who use psychoactive substances.[1] The law seeks to make manufacturers test and prove their products are low-risk before they can be sold.[2][3][4]

Testing is expected to cost manufacturers $1 to 2 million dollars. There is also an $180,000 application fee.[5] A later addition to the law, Section 4(f), specified that "animals must not be used in trials for the purposes of assessing whether a psychoactive product should be approved." This may mean that, in practice, approval will be difficult or impossible.[6] So far, no manufacturing licenses have been applied for.[7]

The Act was brought in as a reaction to widespread concerns[8] over the 2005 deregulation, or decriminalisation, of selling psychoactive substances in New Zealand with the introduction of section 62 in the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Act 2005 and the Misuse of Drugs (Restricted Substances) Regulations 2008.[9] These laws made psychoactive substances such as party pills and legal highs available in New Zealand in a relatively new experimental market aimed at decriminalising the production and sale of recreational drugs.[10]

  1. ^ "Psychoactive Substances Act 2013". New Zealand Legislation. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  2. ^ Easton, Mark (28 February 2013). "Kiwis on drugs: A blueprint for the future?". BBC. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  3. ^ "Force of habits: the end for global drug prohibition?". South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. New Scientist. 22 March 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  4. ^ "New Zealand a 'world leader' on party pills". The New Zealand Herald. APN. 17 March 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  5. ^ "Dairy drug sales to be banned within weeks". The New Zealand Herald. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  6. ^ "The twilight state of the Psychoactive Substances Act", November 2014, New Zealand Drug Foundation magazine "Matters of Substance"
  7. ^ "Synthetic Cannabis 'Prevalent' – Ban hasn't fixed problem", 9 Jul 2016, Kyra Dawson, Rotorua Daily Post
  8. ^ "Kronic ads on youth radio under fire", Nicholas Jones, 28 Jun 2011, NZ Herald
  9. ^ "Misuse of Drugs (Restricted Substances) Regulations 2008". New Zealand Legislation. 6 October 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  10. ^ "A Kronic desire for anonymity", 12/06/2011, stuff.co.nz