A petition has been delivered to Parliament asking for a ban on animal testing when legal highs are developed.
A select committee is hearing submissions on the Psychoactive Substances Bill which will put tougher rules in place for the regulation and sale of legal drugs such as party pills.
The petition was organised by animal rights groups including the SPCA, SAFE and the Anti- Vivisection Society who say they have collected 63,000 signatures in six weeks.
They want a clause specifically prohibiting animal testing to be included in the legislation. However the Health select committee has already ruled that out, saying it is outside the scope of the bill.
About 70 people were in Wellington to hand over the petition, along with more than a dozen dogs used in the past for laboratory testing.
Jim Boyd from the SPCA says party pills should not be tested on animals.
"I want to talk about these dogs here - these are not party animals. These are not the creatures that should have this poison shoved down their throat. The party animals are the people that are causing this."
The Green Party says it will work on an animal testing amendment that can be introduced when the bill is back before the House.
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Animal rights groups outside Parliament on Tuesday. Photo: RNZ