New Zealand Government Drops Plans to Test Legal Party Drugs on Animals
Animals shouldn’t suffer and die so that people can get high.
That was the message that PETA Australia, our supporters, our US affiliate, the New Zealand Anti-Vivisection Society, the SPCA, Save Animals From Exploitation, Helping You Help Animals sanctuary and 45,000 people who signed an online petition presented to the New Zealand government. And Parliament agreed.
Synthetically produced recreational drugs were being sold on store shelves before the government announced that all the drugs would have to be pulled until manufacturers presented test results proving that their products were safe. Initially, the testing was to be conducted on all species of animals, but then Prime Minister John Key said that the government would allow companies to test exclusively on rats. But these little animals had more friends than the Prime Minister had counted on.
Amid the furore that erupted over subjecting animals to painful and lethal experiments for recreational drugs, New Zealand activists contacted PETA US, as it has more scientists working on animal testing issues than any other animal-protection organisation in the world. The group’s scientists provided detailed information on the multiple proven non-animal methods that the manufacturers could use to test the drugs for human safety.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Key announced that the cabinet had decided that manufacturers could not test on any animals. And finally, the government’s proposal to ban all animal testing for recreational drugs has passed the New Zealand Parliament. Good science and good ethics have prevailed again!
Posted by Claire Fryer
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