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Updated: 10:28 a.m. ET July 17, 2007
BRUSSELS, Belgium - European Union governments were asked Tuesday to introduce a possible sales ban, including criminalizing possession of the stimulant and recreational drug benzylpiperazine or BZP, the use of which poses a serious health risk, EU officials said.

It is hoped that the 27-nation bloc will decide to impose strict control measures to prohibit the drug's sale across the EU within the coming months following an expert risk assessment carried out by the bloc's drugs monitoring center.

"The risk assessment which we have conducted indicates that this BZP drug, which is a central nervous system stimulant has created reactions which we indeed would call very disturbing, worrying and dangerous," said EU spokesman Friso Roscam Abbing.

Officials said the drug was similar to the popular recreational drug ecstasy and was being sold as tablets and capsules either over the Internet or at dance clubs and raves. However BZP users can suffer more severe medical side affects than using ecstasy EU officials warned.

They said while the drug aims to offer heightened sensitivity it can lead to hyperactivity and seizures _ even for those who have no previous history of seizures.

Other side affects include nausea, anxiety, severe mood swings, confusion, irritability symptoms which can last for up to 24 hours after taking the drug.

The drug, which is mainly manufactured in India has found its way in 13 EU nations already, including France, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Spain and its use is expected to rise in the years ahead, EU officials said.

Restrictive measures against BZP have already been taken in seven EU nations _ The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Malta, Sweden and Spain.

Officials said they were unsure how widespread the circulation of BZP was in the EU currently, but said British police recently seized 60,000 pills which was shipped to the country from India.

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