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Synthetic drug war heats up

The war on synthetic drugs in South Australia has intensified, with plans for a blanket ban on all products that mimic illegal substances.

The state government wants to put police one step ahead of criminals with chemistry sets.

Synthetic drugs promise the high of ecstasy without the risk of jail, but they can have deadly consequences.

Sydney teenager Henry Kwan died after jumping from a roof while high on synthetic LSD, prompting a crackdown.

Today, the South Australian Government announced it is moving to ban all products marketed as mimicking illegal drugs.

“Crooks with chemistry sets are out there inventing chemicals more quickly than labs in Australia can analyse those chemicals and have them formally listed as illegal chemicals,” Attorney-General John Rau said.

It won’t matter what they are known as on the street, hopefully closing a legal loophole.

But one drug expert has warned it is almost impossible to police.

“The marketing of drugs does change, some of them are non-marketed as drugs per say, so they might be marketed as plant food, as bath salts, some are labeled as not for human consumption,” drug expert professor Jason White told 7News.

Meanwhile, police have issued a second warning after pills seized in Adelaide early this month were found to contain a substance that could lead to hallucinogenic behaviour with fatal consequences.

They raised the alarm yesterday after an especially bad batch of ecstasy surfaced in the city on Saturday night.

A dozen users were rushed to hospital over the weekend, including one who is still fighting for life in hospital.