In 2011, pseudoephedrine, a once-common ingredient in cold and flu medication, was pulled from New Zealand pharmacy shelves and reclassified as a Class B controlled substance. The reason? It could be used to manufacture methamphetamine, or “P”, the drug blamed for a wave of addiction, crime and community devastation across the country.
The decision was seen as bold, even necessary. Then-Prime Minister John Key said he feared for his teenage children. His own home had been burgled by a man with a meth habit. The ban, Key argued, would help dismantle the domestic meth supply chain and protect Kiwi families.
