Over the counter sales of cold tablets which use the methamphetamine precursors ephedrine and pseudoephedrine will be banned under a bill which was given its first reading in Parliament last night.
They are effective cold remedies but are used for the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine, and when the bill becomes law the tablets which use them will be available on prescription only.
The Government announced last October it was "going to war" on methamphetamine, known as `P', and the move is part of its strategy.
"It is generally widely accepted that New Zealand has a problem with methamphetamine," Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne told Parliament.
"It is the only illegal stimulant drug commonly manufactured in our country and we have high rates of use by international standards."
The Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill classifies ephedrine and pseudoephedrine as class B drugs, and the organised crime gangs producing methamphetmine will find them much more difficult to obtain.
Mr Dunne said the Government's advice was that there were effective alternatives available to cold suffers.
"The harm posed by the diversion of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine to the manufacturers of methamphetamine outweighs the need for ongoing over the counter availability of preparations containing those substances," he said.
Labour's health spokeswoman, Ruth Dyson, said her party would support the bill because its intention was sound, but she questioned the impact of making the cold tablets prescription only.
"It imposes the additional cost of having to go to the doctor on ordinary people who have done nothing wrong other than having a bad cold and wanting to get rid of it in a hurry," she said.
The bill has been sent to the health select committee for public submissions.
