NEWS: Courier-Mail - 22/05/2006 Pill-testing kits an ecstasy 'deterrent'

Pill-testing kits an ecstasy 'deterrent'
By Rachael Langford
MON 22 MAY 2006, Page 039

MAKING pill-testing kits legal to use in Australia would not increase drug use, says a harm reduction organisation.

In fact, allowing drug users to test their ecstasy pills would reduce the demand for the drug in this country, Enlighten Harm Reduction spokesman John Davidson says.

"It's actually a deterrent,'' he says.

"Once people know what is in their drug, they often don't want to take it."

Pill-testing has been widely available in Europe since the early 1990s and in the US since the late 1990s.

However, Australia is the largest consumer of ecstasy in the world, Davidson says.

Pill-testing kits are available commercially in Australia, but it is illegal to use them with banned substances.

There are presently two "reagents" available to test ecstasy.

Each is a liquid that indicates through colour change the main ingredient of the drug.

A pin-head sized portion of the drug is placed on a ceramic surface, and a drop of the liquid is applied.

The test is cheap and easy to use, but has its limits, Davidson says, because it will only indicate the main active ingredient in the drug, and not show traces of other contaminants.

Portable lab equipment would be more accurate and Enlighten is investigating the most practical options, he says.

More information: www.enlighten.org.au

Library Heading: DRUGS
Section: TODAY

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Agony behind ecstasy
Rachael Langford
May 22, 2006

THE nightclub scene . . . a single night on 'recreational' drugs can cost less than a night on alcohol.

AARON'S friend overdosed on drugs and collapsed on the footpath in front of a Fortitude Valley nightclub. There were police officers nearby. Fear stopped Aaron from assisting his mate.

"That was the saddest thing, we had to keep walking. We knew he'd be looked after by the police, but I was carrying drugs and I would have been questioned and searched," he says.

This is one of the darker sides of drug use in Brisbane's nightclub districts. As a whole, it paints a picture far seedier than the individuals involved would appear.

Aaron (not his real name) is typical of a trend in so-called party drug users. He is 26, has never been in trouble with the law and holds a full-time job. He also uses drugs regularly. Lured into the scene two years ago, Aaron initially found obtaining drugs difficult. But over time, he has become fully immersed, participating in regular weekend binges and even dabbling in drug dealing.

Aaron says in the beginning he took drugs to enhance his mood, but recently realised drug taking had grown to be more like a game of dare: "It became a case of seeing how f---d up we could get."

He realised he had to disentangle himself, but that has been hard to do. "At first, the drug scene was hard to find," he says. "But after going out a few times, I met a few people very, very quickly. You get to know where the quality is – which dealers you can trust and others who you would only use if you were desperate."

Aaron says the most popular drug of choice is ecstasy (pills, E). He also lists gamma-hydroxy-butyrate, (GHB, GBH – short for grievous bodily harm – G) and crystal methamphetamine (crystal meth, ice) as other favoured options.

He says the current price for ecstasy is $35-$50 a pill if buying in small amounts, or $20-$25 a pill if buying in bulk. GHB costs about $25-$30 a 4ml vial and crystal meth can cost from $40-$80 for one "point", although, Aaron says, he would never pay more than $50. A single night out on "recreational" drugs can cost less than a night on alcohol, but a drug binge racks up quite a bill if it lasts all weekend.

"I can go out on E and have four for about $100. But it keeps you awake and you keep going, so you end up getting more and going all weekend," Aaron says. "I would spend more money on alcohol (in one night), but I'd get drunk, go home, have a hangover (and the binge would stop after one night)."

Aaron's last all-weekend drug bender ended up costing him $180.

For quality control, he refers to the pill.reports website, which lists user comments on different ecstasy pills. He has never had access to a pill testing kit. Aaron does not know of any nightclub where drugs can be obtained over the bar.

Researchers at The University of Queensland's Alcohol and Drug Research and Education Centre have been recruiting regular ecstasy users such as Aaron for surveys over the past three years.

The latest annual Party Drugs Initiative was released this month, its purpose to monitor ecstasy use. Key experts consulted for last year's report noted that regular ecstasy users were mostly aged in their twenties, most were tertiary educated and in fulltime employment. Many were "middle-class types", and 60 per cent were male. However, a PDI researcher says that ecstasy use appears to be so wide spread that it involves people from all walks of life.

The researcher says the most concerning factors are bingeing, consuming alcohol with drugs or consuming a night's drugs in one hit to avoid sniffer dog detection and the risk of unknown contaminant or drug strength due to the illicit status of pills sold as ecstasy.

The last National Drug Strategy Household Survey found about 3.4 per cent of the Queensland population had recently used ecstasy or other designer drugs in a 12-month period.

Meanwhile, submissions recently have been collected for a Parliamentary Joint Committee involving the Senate and Australian Crime Commission Inquiry into Amphetamines and Other Synthetic Drugs. The aim of the research is to inquire into the production and consumption trends, and determine how adequately law enforcement agencies are handling this.

Caroline Salom, director at the centre for addiction research and education at Drug Arm, says drug users should educate themselves about what they are doing to their bodies by taking illicit drugs.

Physical effects include liver and kidney damage, especially if drugs are taken in tandem with alcohol. The consumption of alcohol with drugs is a worrying trend, she says. "There is no safe way to take drugs. Drugs are not necessary and there are plenty of ways to achieve a natural high."

Drug Arm have factsheets available at www.drugarm.com.au

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E is for Everybody?
Saturday, May 20, 2006

Ecstasy is no longer the preserve of rave parties. Research shows that people from all walks of life are now consuming the illicit "party" drug.

Ecstasy (E, pills, MDMA) is being consumed in pubs, parks, concerts, homes, parties, weddings….

3.4% of the Queensland population used it in the past 12 months. Compared to the 87.7 % that have used alcohol in the same period, that doesn’t sound like much. But the manufacture, supply and use of ecstasy and other synthetic drugs is illegal and a joint parliamentary committee was concerned enough to host an inquiry into it.

In university circles, a national annual study began three years ago to monitor ecstasy consumption by regular users.

Benefits of ecstasy use reported to researchers included enhanced confidence, mood and closeness with friends.

Risks related to ecstasy use include depression, unknown contaminants of pills and financial problems.

Experts would also add the consumption of alcohol while on drugs and drug binging as other significant worries.

Caroline Salom, director at the addiction research and education centre at DRUG ARM, says that once upon a time, when ecstasy was a drug used on the social fringe at rave parties, it was generally consumed on its own. But now that E has been welcomed into the mainstream, it is often taken in tandem with large amounts of alcohol.

"Alcohol is a depressant, it slows down the brain and thought process. If you add an amphetamine (which ecstasy falls into the category of), it’s adding stimulus to the brain. So there’s a lot of activity with not a lot of thought."

A University of Queensland researcher says that while drug use can easily be kept in moderation, drug binging is a major concern. A binge is considered more than 48 hours without sleep. Generally very little food, if any, will be consumed in this period, and malnutrition is a risk.

Contamination of drugs is a problem that can be minimised, says John Davidson of Enlighten. He is an advocate of pill testing, and says it should be made widely available.

"Pill-testing is actually a deterrent," he says.

"Once people know what is in their drug, they often don’t want to take it."

It is not widely available in Australia, as it is Europe and the US.

Meanwhile, Australia is the world’s largest consumer of the drug.

Health problems associated with ecstasy use include liver and kidney damage. Some deaths from dehydration and overheating have been accredited to the drug, but its long-term effects are not known.

Because of dangers, some experts warn users away from taking any drug at all, but others suggest it is simple to reduce the harm factors.

Drugs of any sort, including alcohol, have inherent risks. But is it possible to minimise the risks associated with ecstasy use so that there is no real harm done?

Further information:

Drug fact sheets

Pill testing

2005 Party Drugs Initiative report

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