Her comments came after she was asked in the Dail about the drugs by Deputy Jan O'Sullivan following a report in last week's City Edition of the Limerick Leader that two "head shops" here were openly selling the products.

The shops said that they will continue to sell products containing Benzylpiperazine (BZP), a central nervous system stimulant which causes similar effects to ecstasy tablets, until such a time as they are illegal.

The owners of Nirvana on Ellen Street and Deep Route Gardening in the Milk Market said the drug had become popular with young Irish people in recent years.

The substance is illegal in many European countries, including Greece, Italy, Denmark and Sweden, as well as Australia and New Zealand.

Deputy O'Sullivan, Labour's spokesperson on health, put it to Minister Harney that party drugs such as BZP should be placed on the list of controlled substances under the Misuse of Drugs Act "in view of their growing proliferation here".

Minister Harney confirmed this Wednesday that BZP was not a scheduled substance under the act.

"However, a risk assessment of new psychoactive substances carried out by the European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction has found that the use of BZP can lead to medical problems, even if the long term effects of the substance are still unknown.

"Against this background, the European Council decided in March 2008 to place BZP under control in accordance with the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Member states must act as soon as possible, but no later than one year from the date of the decision, to introduce control measures and criminal sanctions," she said.

Minister Harney did not say when BZP would be criminalised.

The management at both Nirvana and Deep Route Gardening said they had been told that it will be illegal to sell the drug from March 2009, meaning the Government will take the longest time permitted by the European Council to introduce legislation.