The party pill king and the wild ride of legal highs in the 2000s | BYO with Lloyd Burr

Matt Bowden was the brains behind party pills like BZP and other legal highs, until they were no longer legal. His empire collapsed, he absconded to Thailand but now he’s back with unfinished business. He sits down with Lloyd Burr to discuss the rise and fall of an industry he’s adamant was about reducing harm, not proliferating it. And he doesn’t hold back, with claims the US threatened our government with trade sanctions, the DEA wanted to “take him out”, and big booze lobbied politicians to change the law because legal highs were killing their profits. Buckle in. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stuff NZ is New Zealand’s essential news source — bringing you live, lively and trustworthy journalism from every corner of Aotearoa. Stay informed with breaking news, in-depth stories, and the latest updates that matter to Kiwis. We upload daily, keeping you connected with the people, places and issues shaping New Zealand today. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Social media channels: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nzstuff Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nzstuff