Benzylpiperazine/Trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine - Usage Trends

Usage Trends

Use of BZP was first reported in the United States and Switzerland in 2000. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), seizure of BZP and TFMPP tablets, capsules, and powders increased steadily through 2004.

Teenagers and young adults who attend raves on a regular basis are the most frequent users of both BZP and TFMPP. Like ecstasy, piperazine has spread from the club scene to high schools and college campuses.

In the United States, BZP is usually imported in powder form and then manufactured into pills. Several hundred pounds of powdered BZP have been seized from India. Busts have been made for possession and use of piperazines throughout the United States, especially in California, Connecticut, and Texas.

In Europe, BZP—which is known there as A2—is marketed "as a cheap and safe alternative compared to illicit amphetamines," stated a DEA "Drug Intelligence Brief" released in December of 2001. As late as 2005, the drug was being sold over-the-counter in New Zealand as a legal stimulant under the brand name Nemesis. "The pills… are advertised as safe, legal alternatives to illegal highsDrug-induced feelings ranging from excitement and joy to extreme grogginess.. There is no age restriction on sales," according to a drug authority interviewed in the Ashburton Guardian.

Louise Bleakley reported in the New Zealand Press that benzylpiperazine tablets, commonly referred to there as "party pills," are "neither classified as a drug nor a dietary supplement so there is no requirement for them to be labeled." Casual drug users in New Zealand seemed "less cautious" about taking BZP, noted Bleakley, "because of the commonly used 'herbal' label" on their packaging. "In fact, herbal party pills [are] synthetic compounds."

Typical Users

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reported that the typical abusers of BZP and TFMPP are "adolescents and young adults involved with the current rave culture." Of particular concern is the fact that many of its users do not even know they are taking it. Some dealers do not realize they are selling it. Not only have BZP and TFMPP tablets been found among bags of ecstasy (MDMA) tablets, the powders of all three drugs have been found mixed together in drugs being passed off as pure ecstasy.

BZP is not considered a controlled substance worldwide. In late 2004 and early 2005, it was being sold over-the-counter in New Zealand as an herbal party pill. (Oddly enough, the pills contain no herbs.) The staff of New Zealand's Christchurch Hospital, according to a New Zealand Press article, said that piperazine users admitted for emergency treatment "were usually young women in their late teens or early twenties."

According to the New Zealand Press in late 2004, hospital emergency departments in urban New Zealand reported seeing "at least six patients a weekend suffering severe paranoiaAbnormal feelings of suspicion and fear. and dehydration" after taking the so-called herbal drugs. "Party-goers were arriving at the hospital hysterical and requiring sedation." At that time, New Zealand's associate health minister, Jim Anderton, proposed that a new classification be added to the A, B, and C ratings given to drugs

Benzylpiperazine, or BZP, is the active ingredient in some forms of herbal ecstasy. Used as party drugs, they were once legal in the United States. James Leynse/Corbis.
Benzylpiperazine, or BZP, is the active ingredient in some forms of herbal ecstasy. Used as party drugs, they were once legal in the United States. © James Leynse/Corbis.

there by law. These letter ratings are somewhat similar to the scheduling of drugs by number in the United States. Anderton's idea for a "D" rating, which would include party pills, has received considerable support.