poledriver
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- Jul 21, 2005
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‘Strongest legal high’ website shuts after query
It took one phone call to shut a website promising to deliver “Australia’s strongest legal high” to its customers via a white powder strongly resembling cocaine.
That call was to a legitimate Queensland-based online marketing company that boasted many iconic retail brands as clients.
ButThe West Australian asked if one of the company’s directors was available to discuss the website marketing of a lesser-known brand — Wicked. Within minutes Wicked, and its Wicked-high.com website, was no more. “Sorry for the inconvenience,” read a notice on the site.
“Our website is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance and will be back soon.”
There was nothing scheduled about it.
Spooked by a message to call a reporter, the plug was pulled on the white powder being promoted as a “research chemical that may cause intense euphoric highs”.
So-called research chemicals — and other synthetic drugs or legal highs — have been responsible for the deaths of users around the world, including Perth teenager Preston Bridge, who died in 2013 during a psychotic reaction to a synthetic version of the hallucinogenic drug LSD.
Now his father Rod Bridge campaigns against the manufacturers and their many online merchants.
“The authorities changed the laws to make it easier to stop this stuff being sold, but they’re just not enforcing it,” Mr Bridge said.
There is no shortage of websites promoting concoctions the merchants claim will get customers legally high. But most operate outside Australia and finding those behind the plethora of powders, pills and herbs being posted into the country is almost impossible.
It was different with Wicked-high.com. Using a pseudonym,The West Australian went online to order 50g of Wicked white powder at a cost of $399. When directed to the payment page, up came the name of another company and its Queensland bank account details.
Behind the company was an award-winning website marketing guru. “I don’t want to do any harm to anyone or sell a product that’s illegal,” the man behind Wicked toldThe West Australian .
“Those proper research chemicals are toxic as hell and Customs need to look at how to detect them.”
He said he knew what was in Wicked powder and there was nothing to fear from the product, even though the website promised “very strong stuff that would destroy any legal high on the market”.
The website, and another site marketing the powder, also offers confusing advice to users. Both warn “Wicked is not intended for human consumption”, but it can be “mixed with water” and drunk.
“Most of what’s in it is available on supermarket shelves,” the businessman who ran the site claimed.
“Why would anyone in their right mind be stupid enough to market a real synthetic drug online. You’d have to be an idiot.”
He said the reason he shut the website was because he did not want Wicked to be confused with his mainstream business.
“I pulled down the website and made sure it’s not operational because I don’t want the attention,” he said.
Curtin University’s expert on new and emerging drugs, Stephen Bright, said the prevalence of websites and the amount of unknown and untested products sold proved that prohibition was not working.
“I see it this way,” he said. “It’s the prohibition of the traditional drugs that has led to all these synthetic drugs and now our legislators can’t keep up.
“Prohibition didn’t work for prostitution, it didn’t work for alcohol and it doesn’t work for drugs.”
But Mr Bridge said if there were laws that might save one synthetic drug user, then they should be applied.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/31441495/strongest-legal-high-website-shuts-after-query/
It took one phone call to shut a website promising to deliver “Australia’s strongest legal high” to its customers via a white powder strongly resembling cocaine.
That call was to a legitimate Queensland-based online marketing company that boasted many iconic retail brands as clients.
ButThe West Australian asked if one of the company’s directors was available to discuss the website marketing of a lesser-known brand — Wicked. Within minutes Wicked, and its Wicked-high.com website, was no more. “Sorry for the inconvenience,” read a notice on the site.
“Our website is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance and will be back soon.”
There was nothing scheduled about it.
Spooked by a message to call a reporter, the plug was pulled on the white powder being promoted as a “research chemical that may cause intense euphoric highs”.
So-called research chemicals — and other synthetic drugs or legal highs — have been responsible for the deaths of users around the world, including Perth teenager Preston Bridge, who died in 2013 during a psychotic reaction to a synthetic version of the hallucinogenic drug LSD.
Now his father Rod Bridge campaigns against the manufacturers and their many online merchants.
“The authorities changed the laws to make it easier to stop this stuff being sold, but they’re just not enforcing it,” Mr Bridge said.
There is no shortage of websites promoting concoctions the merchants claim will get customers legally high. But most operate outside Australia and finding those behind the plethora of powders, pills and herbs being posted into the country is almost impossible.
It was different with Wicked-high.com. Using a pseudonym,The West Australian went online to order 50g of Wicked white powder at a cost of $399. When directed to the payment page, up came the name of another company and its Queensland bank account details.
Behind the company was an award-winning website marketing guru. “I don’t want to do any harm to anyone or sell a product that’s illegal,” the man behind Wicked toldThe West Australian .
“Those proper research chemicals are toxic as hell and Customs need to look at how to detect them.”
He said he knew what was in Wicked powder and there was nothing to fear from the product, even though the website promised “very strong stuff that would destroy any legal high on the market”.
The website, and another site marketing the powder, also offers confusing advice to users. Both warn “Wicked is not intended for human consumption”, but it can be “mixed with water” and drunk.
“Most of what’s in it is available on supermarket shelves,” the businessman who ran the site claimed.
“Why would anyone in their right mind be stupid enough to market a real synthetic drug online. You’d have to be an idiot.”
He said the reason he shut the website was because he did not want Wicked to be confused with his mainstream business.
“I pulled down the website and made sure it’s not operational because I don’t want the attention,” he said.
Curtin University’s expert on new and emerging drugs, Stephen Bright, said the prevalence of websites and the amount of unknown and untested products sold proved that prohibition was not working.
“I see it this way,” he said. “It’s the prohibition of the traditional drugs that has led to all these synthetic drugs and now our legislators can’t keep up.
“Prohibition didn’t work for prostitution, it didn’t work for alcohol and it doesn’t work for drugs.”
But Mr Bridge said if there were laws that might save one synthetic drug user, then they should be applied.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/31441495/strongest-legal-high-website-shuts-after-query/
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