Age article on bans related to synth cannabinoids

[Halif]

This article is on The Age today. I thought it was unusually balanced and honest in acknowledging the last bans simply created a new breed of stronger and potentially more dangerous chems to replace the banned ones. Love em or hate em, looks like c-noids are here to stay.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/ban-on-fake-pot-fails-to-drag-drug-off-shelf-20120331-1w5ct.html

A BAN on synthetic cannabis has failed to stop its sale and may have caused stronger forms of the party drug to hit the market.

Sold as Kronic, Northern Lights, Spice and Amsterdam High, the herbal-chemical blend was in effect outlawed in July when eight cannabis-like chemicals were banned by Australia's federal medicines regulator.

But it is still being sold widely in Melbourne in ''legal high'' stores, tobacconists and sex shops, as suppliers have got around the law by reformulating brands with chemicals that have a similar effect but are not on the banned list.

Victoria Police told The Sunday Age the drugs were virtually impossible to control as there was no way to know what chemicals were in them without forensic tests. ''[The drugs] continue to evolve, changing the chemical structure and in turn making forensic examination extremely difficult,'' a police spokeswoman said. ''This means that people buying the stuff have no idea what they are buying and whether they are committing an offence by possessing a drug of dependence.''

The prohibited substances have been placed in the same category as heroin, meaning users risk heavy fines and jail terms of up to five years for possession, and up to life imprisonment for trafficking. Store owners and drug and alcohol experts say the ban is out of proportion and has led to new forms of faux cannabis that seem to be stronger than those the Therapeutic Goods Administration has banned.

''Each time we ban a product we increase the likelihood that the next product that comes out could be potentially lethal or cause significant physiological harm to people,'' said Stephen Bright, a psychologist with Peninsula Health's drug and alcohol program, who, with colleagues from the National Drug and Research Institute, has conducted research into Kronic and other synthetic cannabis products.

Mr Bright said he had treated people with extreme paranoia, psychosis and dependence after using new forms of synthetic cannabis. ''The ban was a knee-jerk reaction and it seems to be doing more harm than good in terms of raising the profile of the product.''

Ben Schmidt, from Smoke Dreams in Flinders Street, said the shop sells legal blends such as Kronic and Northern Lights, that no longer contain banned chemicals.

At $35 a gram - compared with about $20 for cannabis - he said they were popular with older customers. ''We get a lot of police officers and miners and people who get drug tested regularly at work. It's popular with people who can't afford to be caught with illegal drugs.''

The Therapeutic Goods Administration will attempt to shut down all synthetic cannabis trade in May when it introduces a blanket ban on any substance that mimics the effects of cannabis. The legislation is designed not only to halt the sale of existing brands but to place a ban on all future forms of the drug.

But drug experts say the legislation is so broad it may be unenforceable and could encourage those who previously enjoyed legal highs to turn to illicit drugs. Sam Biondo, chief executive of the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association, said emerging drugs were causing legislative chaos around the world. This month the organisation will hold a community forum titled ''Kronic Hysteria'' to discuss ways to tackle the phenomenon.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/ban-on-fake-pot-fails-to-drag-drug-off-shelf-20120331-1w5ct.html#ixzz1qlOV2LkY

 

[qualia]

i read this this morning. sadly i don't think it'll have any effect of the "ban it and it'll go away" mentality of our elected representatives.

[LikeAshesWeFade]

I totally agree qualia.. I personally believe that this blanket ban will cause them to turn to benzo-like compounds that sedate you when smoked, therefore not really mimic'ing the effects of cannabis. Or even more scarier to think of would be if they turn to opiate-derivatives or non-derivatives that activate opioid receptors.. or in the case of benzo-like, GABA receptors.

[Halif]

Yes I find it painfully ironic that in supressing the public's freedom to use the drugs they choose, the authorities have indirectly caused a flood of new chems which are often extremely potent, easy to buy online, easy to overdose on due to lack of knowledge and lack of proper weighing equipment, and just generally unkown. Who knows what short and long term effects will come from some of these products.

Compared to MDPV, MDMA seems a far safer option, as anecdotally it seems to be less compulsive, less likely to produce psychosis in reasonable doses and more is known about it. People can look up MDMA and find lots of information which can help keep them safe or help them to decide whether to try it or not.

Likewise, compared to AM2201, cannabis seems far less likely to cause intense addiction and overdose.

But as Qualia said, I doubt there'll be any change to the current system of trying to ban everything through increasingly vague laws.

[Foo]

bring back 018

Edited April 1, 2012 by eatfoo