NEWS: Courier-Mail - The Drugs Scrouge

[hoptis]

Mother tells of daughter's death after taking 'ecstasy'
Article from: The Courier-Mail
Liz Vaina
March 30, 2009 11:00pm

TRAGIC ... 18-year-old Blair Vaina died on a deserted beach after taking at least six tablets she thought were ecstasy.

I REMEMBER exactly when my daughter Blair came into the world. My husband Vince and I already had a son, Travis, so we both burst into tears when we saw it was girl.

She had three-inch-long dark hair and was the most gorgeous baby . . . the most gorgeous, kind, sweet kid. She'd snuggle into my neck and you could feel her love.

What was really bad for me when she died was that we had this thing. I'd go in and say, "Good night, Blair." She'd say, "Good night Mum, I love you." I'd say, "I love you, too." She'd say, "I love you more." I'd go, "No you don't." She'd say, "Yes I do."

"No" . . . "yes" . . . it'd go on like that for ages. Right 'til the day before she died, that's what we'd do . . .

Tragic end: Blair Vaina's life in pictures

As I brought the kids up, I was totally open. I spoke about drugs, constantly, because I knew it was a big problem. But Blair loved people that much that she didn't want to disappoint them or stay out of the scene. She didn't want to stand out and say no.

She must have been about 15½ when she tried marijuana. She didn't like the feeling and when she got home afterwards, she was paranoid and panicky. She rang me and said, "Mum, this is what I've done . . . oh my God, what's happening? Please come home."

In a way, I thought, "That's great". That would be it. She won't touch drugs again.

After Year 12 at Somerset College, she started a business degree at Griffith uni on the Gold Coast and had a boyfriend for the first time. He was 17. She met him at a Mermaid Beach pool hall. She'd turned 18 in the May and was still so social and genuinely funny. But naive.

She'd also connected up with a girl, Angie (not her real name) who wasn't accepted anywhere . . . she hated everybody . . . she had issues about everything.

Blair would say to me, "I don't want to go to the clubs tonight because they all take drugs." I'd say, "Well don't go." She'd say, "I've got to (or else) Angie will get angry at me."

Because of that, I said, "Have you ever taken ecstasy?" She said, "Oh yeah, once. I don't know what they go on about. I took it in the nightclub and I didn't get anything out of it. I don't know why they bother."

As far as I know, she hadn't dabbled any more than that. I couldn't see any change in her. But I would learn Angie, Blair's boyfriend and another girl in their group – a friend of Angie – were all into pills.

She told me the boyfriend was into ecstasy. One night she said, "Oh, I can't believe it, Mum. He took them and not long after that, he wanted to go back and get more. I said to him, 'Look, if you're going to do that, I'm going home'."

She was giving me the impression that she was trying to get him off the drugs. That she wanted to be his helper. Of course, I had concerns about him. Maybe I'm sounding like a really bad mother. But what do you do when your 18-year-old daughter is the happiest you've seen her in her life?

The last time I saw Blair, the two of them were about to go out to celebrate five months together. Blair was like that. She loved occasions . . . like Christmas and surprises. It was a Friday and they said their plan was to go out and then go fishing in the morning.

She gave me three kisses. She backed her car out of the garage and waved goodbye.

The next morning, my husband and son had gone to work. I saw these people in plain clothes walking up to the house. A woman and a man. They knocked on the door and said, "We're police from Southport. Can we come in?"

My first thought was that Blair's boyfriend had been caught with drugs. But the man said, "Have you got a daughter, Blair?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Well, sorry, Blair's passed away."

I remember screaming, "No, no, no. Not her. It can't be her. Why . . . what?"

He told me that she'd taken pills and collapsed. They asked me about drugs and ended up searching her room. Vince and Travis came home and I can't remember much more, until getting in the car and Vince driving us to the morgue.

There've been court cases since and we've sort of put it all together. I worked out from the messages on Blair's mobile phone that they went to a dealer. Blair had told me about her boyfriend getting drugs from him before. She'd explained him to be a very nice guy with a lot of stuff – nice house and a big TV and lots of cars. Her text is saying to him, We're out the front.

Then they go to the pool hall and meet Angie, the other girl and her boyfriend. They bought more pills from them. Apparently, Blair was already hallucinating so I thought, "Why did you sell her more? Why didn't you just take her home?"

Going by the photos on her phone, she went to another place in the dark which no one seems to be able to identify. Then Blair and her boyfriend drove to Jabiru Island (near Paradise Point, on the Gold Coast's northern extremity). That's where she died.

The photos are really weird. Blair was (usually) a brilliant photographer and you can see she was hallucinating. A photo of a little weed on the ground. (Another of) raindrops . . . they must have been (thinking), "Wow" and she took a photo of it.

(At 6.13am) she filmed this sunrise and I mean, my girl never, ever shut up. (Normally) she would have said, "Isn't that beautiful?" or whatever, but not a word. (The movie) is jerky and short. Maybe she had been that sick, she didn't say anything . . .

How many pills did she take? I don't know. I've heard six to 10.

But her autopsy found potentially fatal levels in her blood of both PMA and MDMA. The research that I've done on ecstasy . . . (every) death has turned up one or more PMA pills involved. The problem is, you don't know whether you're taking PMA, do you?

I think what really killed her was love for people, and bad influences. She had two girlfriends and a boyfriend who were bad. And I can see her saying to the boyfriend, "What do you want to do for our five months (as a couple)?" And he would have said the drugs and she would have said, "I'll do it for you."

She was lying there on the ground, she'd convulsed, and he panicked and made other calls, even to one of the drug dealers, before calling an ambulance. Apparently, later, he (Blair's boyfriend) got sick, too.

No one's gone to jail over what happened. I'm angry about that – and confused. But I don't really hate anyone. I hate that I've got to live the rest of my life without my girl, my best friend. I hate that she's dead.

I was howling in the morgue. I traced Blair's eyebrows, just sort of . . . like you would a doll. Isn't it so sad that there you have a young girl – woman – in perfect health one night? A few pills and she is gone forever.

Liz Vaina, as told to Matthew Fynes-Clinton

*In late 2007, Benjamin William Hill, 19, of Hollywell, was sentenced to two years' probation and 200 hours' community service on four counts of supplying a dangerous drug at the pool hall. His girlfriend, Kimberley Anne Selleck, was sentenced to two years' probation and 75 hours' community service for supplying a dangerous drug. Both pleaded guilty. No convictions were recorded.

Courier-Mail

 

[hoptis]

Popping pills is like playing Russian roulette with your life
Article from: The Courier-Mail
Matthew Fynes-Clinton
March 30, 2009 11:00pm

ON the street, two pills each bearing an omega symbol are marketed as the illicit drug ecstasy. But one is an impostor and far more likely to be lethal.
PMA (paramethoxyamphetamine) has been responsible for killing 10 young Australians in the past decade.

It is produced when one of the ingredients used to synthesise ecstasy becomes scarce and a more commonly available chemical is swapped.

With superior toxicity to ecstasy - or MDMA (methylenedioxymeth-amphetamine) - just 50mg of the compound can lead to sudden death. All it takes is slightly more than one PMA pill.

Both omega tablets were captured in police operations and sent for analysis to Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services.

Their similar appearance underscores the substitution racket turning ecstasy use into an increasingly hazardous affair.

Popular culture logos, stamped by backyard pill presses, are copied regularly and do not indicate any particular substance.

In this case, the ecstasy pill also was found to contain traces of MDA - MDMA'S more toxic and hallucinogenic cousin.

Today, The Courier-Mail can reveal a range of bogus contents purporting to be ecstasy after securing the release of screening results from pills and capsules seized over the past year.

LSD was the sole active ingredient in some pills.

Others were composed entirely of the anabolic steroid methandienone.

Uncovered constituents included methamphetamine (speed), the veterinary anaesthetic ketamine, the tranquilliser diazepam, the analgesic tramadol, the anxiety disorder treatment alprazolam - and oxycodone, an opioid almost as powerful as morphine.

Despite a street price of $25 to $40 a pill, some "eccies" were also found to contain only caffeine. Sometimes no drugs were present.

Detective Acting Inspector Kerry Johnson, of the State Drug Squad, said "arsenic, strychnine and Ratsak" had been identified in street pills before.

"It's Russian roulette," he said.

Courier-Mail

 

[hoptis]

Detective Acting Inspector Kerry Johnson, of the State Drug Squad, said "arsenic, strychnine and Ratsak" had been identified in street pills before.

"It's Russian roulette," he said.

No it's not, stop repeating this stupid fucking line.

Smoking is playing Russian roulette... one in two lifetime smokers will die from tobacco related illness. If one in two ecstasy users died from taking pills none of us would be here.

 

[hoptis]

DR Mark Daglish will be online from noon on Wednesday, April 1, to answer readers' questions about amphetamines and other drugs of addiction.

EDIT: Interview text added.

12:57
[Comment From Spectator]
Lots of my mates take eS in the Valley each weekend and they're fine.
12:57
[Comment From Spectator]
this is a beat-up, right?
12:57
Mark Daglish: Hello. My name is Mark Daglish. I am an Addiction Psychiatrist.

I will be happy to answer your questions on the effects of alcohol & other drugs on the brain.
12:59
Mark Daglish: Hi Spectator - thanks for your question.

There is good evidence now that many of the amphetamine type drugs cause longer term structural changes in the brain. The short term effects don't look or feel too dramatic, but we are note sure what the damage may do in the long term.
1:00
Do you ever mix the use of legal, illegal and prescription drugs?
Yes, legal and illegal
( 24% )
Yes, prescription and illegal
( 6% )
Yes, All three
( 10% )
No.
( 61% )

1:01
[Comment From Dad]
i always maintained that cannabis was a better option because it was harder to hide foreign stuff. Is that the case? Or do the new hydroponic super strains bugger that up anyway?
1:04
[Comment From Jake]
Hello Mark, I used to take Ecstasy, speed and crystal but have been clean for 5 years now. Since getting off I am unable to take Cold and Flu tablets as I get very bad side effects. Is this common? Would you expect the side effects to diminish?
1:04
Mark Daglish:

Hi "Dad"
In general it would be harder to hide adulterants in amongst leaf cannabis. It is well known that the resin can be switched for all sorts of things.

That doesn't make cannabis a safe drug however. We known that many people can get away with using small amounts occasionally, but heavy longer term use has effects on drive and memory.

For some cannabis can lead to bad long term mental health problems. This seems to be particularly true for those who start young and use the stronger stuff, like skunk or the hydoponics.
1:06
[Comment From Soldier]
Is there any indication that speed etc and its after affects might have had anything to do with the high rate of military suicides?
1:06
[Comment From Weezel]
How much of addiction is a personality thing (ie: are some people more likely to become addicts?) and how much is a physiological/chemical thing?
1:06
Mark Daglish: Hi Jake,

I presume the tablets that give you problems are the ones that contain pseudephedrine or similar. It may be that you are still getting effects from drugs that feel a bit like the amphetamines.

It is definately true that like smoking you never go back to being a non-smoker, you are always an ex-smoker - same for the other addictive drugs.
1:07
[Comment From Jonny]
Hi Dr Daglish, can you tell me whether smoking weed(say once a month) will have any major long term affects?
1:08
[Comment From ME]
This is all guess work really isn't it? Every person is different and will react differently. So if one person takes a certain amount of the stuff and gets these side effects, another person may take the same amount and get none. Isn't this the same as any prescription drug out there also?
1:08
Mark Daglish: Hi Soldier - unfortunately it is well known that drug & alcohol problems increase the risk of suicide. This is particularly true if you have other mental health problems like PTSD in soldiers.
1:08
[Comment From Phil]
What are the long term side effects of taking 5-MEO-DMT ?
1:08
[Comment From insomnia]
is taking sleeping pills bad for your body and brain if it gives u a good nites rest and that you dont need coffee the next day? is it really that bad then? Would you say your addicted to sleeping pills then?
1:09
[Comment From Edward]
Hi Mark, A friend of mine in his late teens has recently been diagnosed with mental health problems that the doctor said was precipitated by his heavy smoming of marijuana over the past couple of years. Is that possible? He is in rehab and has stopped smoking but they say he will never be over his mental health issues. Can he ever get back to normal?
1:10
Mark Daglish: Hi Weezel - risk of addiction is very much an individual thing. There are gene effects, early exposure effects, childhood effects and personality effects. In general the more risk factors you have the higher your risk of getting hooked and the more you should stay away from the drugs.

The other big risk factor is amount used. The more you use the more likely you are to get addicted.
1:10
[Comment From Concerned]
I've heard that drug-use can cause schizophrenia. Is this true? And does it only happen to heavy drug users?
1:10
[Comment From Ragnar]
Dr D, do you see more alcohol or drug addicted patients?
1:11
[Comment From Cheech]
Mate of mine smoked dope daily for about a decade. Says it slowed his synapses down so his decision-making became slower and his hand-eye coordination was affected. Can this really happen to anybody?
1:12
Mark Daglish: Hi Edward,
Sorry to hear about your friend. This is a very common problem that Mental health services see. I can't stay if your firend will get better, but....

If he can stay away from the drugs he will do MUCH better than if he continues to use. This and taking the prescribed medication are the best things you can do to stay well & out of hospital.
1:13
Mark Daglish: Hi Ragnar,

About 60-80% of the patients I see in for detox are alcohol dependent. This is partly because alcohol is the commonest drug and also because it has the most dangerous withdrawal states. People forget that severe alcohol withdrawal can be fatal
1:14
[Comment From Ragnar]
Dr. D, if that is the case, do what do you attribute the different legislative treatment accorded to alcohol and drgus?
1:14
[Comment From Tedlands]
Dr Daglish, Despite how bad both are for you, is it true that Coke is a cleaner drug then Ecstasy?
1:15
Mark Daglish: Hi insomnia,

Some sleeping pills can become addictive if misused. We see lots of problems with Alprazolam and diazepam.

The best avice for insomnia is not to use the tablets too often. On of our biggest problems is insomnia caused by alcohol and drug problems. It is a common reason for relapse.
1:16
[Comment From Mother]
Can the same sort of side effects occur if prescribed the wrong medication? Or even the right medication?
1:16
Mark Daglish: Hi Cheech & Concerned

You are both right. There are a lot of effects from cannabis use. Heavy users often get problems with memory and drive in the short term. In the longer term it can lead to schizophrenia, particularly with young onset of heavy use in vulnerable people.
1:20
[Comment From Jonny]
What are some of the major affects you see of ecstacy and meth users after only a year or two of use?
1:21
[Comment From Ray]
I am concerned about a friend of mine who began taking e tablets last year. They believe that its all just fun and is now up to taking 3 at one time (up from one a time). Its a couple of nights a week they do it. They seem fine - how long will it take to see any effect it will have on them in the long term?? And will it effect them in the long term definately or is there a chance that it won't even if they keep going??
1:21
Mark Daglish:

Hi "Mother",
There are always potential problems with any medication. In research studies you always see some side-effects in the people who are taking the placebo (dummy) tablets.

The important thing is to discuss the side-effects with the Doctor prescribing the medication. Often people misunderstand the dose instructions or they need adjusted, and many people need to find the right drug for them.
1:22
Mark Daglish: Hi Jonny,

Short term effects of both ecstacy & methamphetamine & amphetamine are drops in the levels of particular chemical messengers in the brain. Depending on which chemical messenger (ecstacty -> serotonin, amphetamines -> dopamine) then you get different effects.
1:25
Mark Daglish: Hi Ray
The biggest problem your friend & researchers in the field have, is knowning what is in the tablets.
It is likely that small amounts of rare use cause minimal harm for most people. As the dose rises and the frequency increases problems become more likely.

Animal studies of ecstacy have shown that as the animals get closer to humans the gap between the damaging dose and the "recreational" dose gets smaller. Rats need about 40 times the dose, pigeons about 7 times the dose and monkeys about 4 times the dose to get brain damage.
1:26
[Comment From Robbo]
quick question for you - obviously these things arent great for you, but what if you space it out a bit? say 1-2 every 2-3 months?
1:28
Mark Daglish: Hi Robbo,

There are many factors that make the drugs more or less risky. In the rat studies with MDMA they found that the damage was more likely if they put lots of rats together, made them do exercise, increased the ambient temperature and added loud noise. In effect the most damaging place to give a rat MDMA is at a rave!
1:29
[Comment From Weezel]
Is choice of music an issue?
1:29
[Comment From matt]
hi mark, i was a heavey speed user in the mid 90's. i used for about 3 years solid until i met my now wife. i havent used any drugs for the past 11 years, is it possible i have any permanent damage?
1:29
Mark Daglish: Hi Weezel - just the volume and how much it makes you jump up & down!
1:31
[Comment From Weezel]
Have you ever done any drug education work, and if so, how do you convince kids that their 'expert' peer advice is wrong and the real expert advice is right?
1:32
Mark Daglish: Hi Matt,

I'm afraid I can't asnwer your question - it is one I am often asked by patients. We know a bit about average changes in a group of ex-users, but finding the answer for an individual is much harder.

We know that some people are more vulnerable to the damage, but not why. We also know that on average the group effects reduce with time away from drug.
The clear advice is always that staying clean is better for you than a relapse.
1:34
[Comment From Mother]
Thanks. I am also concerned about the teaching of primary school students about the effects of these drugs. In your opinion, is it best to teach them of these things while they are still so innocent or start talking about it when they are more grown. What is the highest risk age?
1:34
[Comment From Jonny]
Would you say that taking ten e's in a year is better or wose than taking ten in a month, regarding affects on the brain?
1:34
Mark Daglish: Hi Weezel - this is a big problem. Everyone knows "a mate" who's used lots of everythign for years and is fine.
Personal stories seem to be more powerful as a message than science.
1:35
[Comment From Cruiser]
Hi Dr Mark I work in an area where I am continually dealing with drug effected persons and I have to say that they all have mental health issues.
1:35
[Comment From Tim]
Hi Mark, What are the youngest ages kids are getting into drugs these days and how quickly is the age going down? I have a young son and want to watch out for this before its too late.
1:35
Mark Daglish: Hi Jonny,

Generally more tablets at once is worse than well spread out. Of course, folk who use 10 in a month will be more likely to use more the next month.....
1:37
[Comment From Vincenzo]
Hi Mark - Do 12 step programs work in the treatment for amphetamine addiction.
1:37
[Comment From Jacob09]
I use cocaine once a month, i find it very stimulating. Using it in small amounts cant hurt too much can it?
1:38
Mark Daglish: Hi Mother & Tim,

It is not unusual for us to see people who started their drug / alcohol career at the age of 12. Of course, we see the severe end of the spectrum.

I always believe in informed choices. I don't think "hiding" drugs makes kids safer. The challenge is in making the learnign materials age appropriate.
1:39
Mark Daglish: Hi Cruiser,

We have the same experience. Overlap between drugs, alcohol and mental health is the norm not the exception in services.
1:39
[Comment From Sky]
My wife is costant binger on wine, 2-3 bottles at a time and reacts with massive mood swings, always to the bad side. Currently is seeing a counsellor and has one session of electro therary with hypnosis. Is this a suitable treatment? Are there better alternatives?
1:40
Mark Daglish: Hi Vincenzo,

12 step programmes (like AA & NA) work extremely well for some people and not for others. One experience we do have is that not all the groups are the same and people often have to "shop around" to find the group that suits them.
1:42
Mark Daglish:

Hi Jacob,
Cocaine is an interesting drug. The biggest risks from monthly use would be:
1) increasing use over time
2) short term effects - like doing silly / dangerous things while high
3) Longer term effects on the heart and brain in particular.
Cocaine users do present to emergency departments with heart attacks, strokes and other effects from high blood pressure and racing pulse.
1:44
[Comment From user2009]
Hi Mark, is there any other way to get off morphine rather than going on an opiate program which blacklists you as a drug addict? I want to get off it but dont want to be listed as an addict. Does that make sense?
1:44
Mark Daglish: Hi Sky,

There are lots of different services out there to help with alcohol problems. Mood swings are a common effect.
If you live in Queensland then your GP should be able to put you in touch with the local ATODS (alcohol, tobacco & other drugs service).

There are medications available for alcohol problems as well. These are very effective for some people.
1:44
[Comment From John]
Hi Mark - I've heard that some people are more prone to drug addiction than others, one reason given is that some people have an "addictive personality" and others don't. Is having a so called "addictive personality" a myth or a fact.
1:47
[Comment From Sky-sympathiser]
Hey Sky, what's this electro-shcok therapy? I thought that went out with straw hats
1:47
Mark Daglish: Hi user2009
Opiate withdrawal is rarely dangerous (unlike alcohol) and so stopping is always an option. Of course, that is much easier for me to say than for you to do.

The reason we often try to persuade people on to a programme is that we know the rate of relapse to illicit use is much lower for those on a script than it is for those who detox. It helps to separate the psychological elements of addiction from the pharmacological elements.

There is an old saying that methadone is what gets people to come back to the clinic where the real treatment happens.
1:48
[Comment From Sky]
They put some elctrodes around the head and neck and it pulses the brian apparently to try and reset the paths or something. I am a bit sceptical.
1:49
[Comment From John]
Is "Cognitive Behaviour Therapy" - ie reprogramming of the subconscious part of the brain an effective method - such as the Allen Carr method used to quit smoking /drinking
1:49
Mark Daglish: Hi Sky et al,

Some have advocated electro-acupuncture as a treatment for addictions. The issue is how good the research data is to back it up. The treatments we provide in the clinics all need to have an evidence base to back up their use. In the "alternative" field this is less clear.
1:51
Mark Daglish: Hi John,

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a well validated treatment for a number of mental health issues, including addiction. Other "talking" treatments that have been shown to work also include Motivational Interviewing and Relapse Prevention. Others are in development as we learn more about the mind processes that underly addictions.
1:52
[Comment From Peter]
I have a severe chronic pain condition which was treated with opiates for a couple of years. Following an assessment with ATODs I was blacklisted from being prescribed S8 medicine. The pain is unbearable and I don't know where to turn. I haven't had any S8 medicines for 18 months so I am not withdrawing.
1:53
[Comment From Sky]
My main concern if for my kids that see this a few times a week. I don;t get home until 6ish so by that time the booze has usually taken effect. She isn;t dangerous to the kids, just very load and short tempered but unloads on me as soon as I walk through the door. Should I watch them carefully and are they possibly more at risk to faling into this bahaviour. I have quietly tried to teach then about drinking. Ages 10 and down
1:56
[Comment From will "Bris city"]
I have never taken drugs but my friends tell me that drugs make sex a lot better, is this true?
1:56
Mark Daglish: Hi Peter,

Sorry to hear about your difficulties. It is impossible for me to comment about your case as obviously I don't know you. I can make some general comments:

We see a lot of people with problematic use of prescribed opiate pain killers. Often the pain problem is compounded by depression and other difficulties.
Often the opioids end up not being that good at controlling the pain and may even end up aggravating the problem.
Usually the best way forward is to tackle the problems on several fronts. Non-drug techniques for pain control and other approaches to maximising what one is able to do despite the pain often give people the best long term outcomes.
It is never easy or quick, but progress can be made.
1:59
Mark Daglish:

Hi Sky,

There is some work from a variety of researchers that suggests a few factors are particularly warning signs for kids risk of developing alcohol problems.
1) Does it run in the family?
2) Do they have an initial high tolerance to alcohol (they just seem to get less drunk from the same dose as their friends)
3) Do they tend to use alcohol as a coping strategy?

Risks 1 & 2 are not something you can change. Risk 3 can be learnt from watching others round about you.
2:01
[Comment From Brett]
Will (Bris City) - In my experience drugs affects a male getting an erection or sustaining it. So if you cant get it up then what good are you . Without drugs you can go all night long so my advice is "no drugs" and she'll definitely have a smile on her face in the morning.
2:03
Mark Daglish: Hi will "bris city"
A number of drugs have developed a reputation for enhancing sex. In some cases this is true (at least in the short term).
The risk is like all the other reasons for use; plus the extra risk of ending up finding that sex is boring without a drug.
Many drugs have longer term effects to reduce libido (sex drive) and also cause problems like impotence.
2:06
Mark Daglish:

Sorry folks - we have run out of time.
Thank you to all for your thought provoking questions.
Thanks also to those of you who answered the poll.
The reason for that question is that mixing drugs &/or alcohol is the commonest cause of fatal overdoses. I was interested to see how widespread this dangerous practice is.

 

[hoptis]

PICK your poison ... when it comes to amphetamines, there's no telling what's been used to create the party drug.
THE omega symbol marks a tablet containing Paramethoxy Amphetamine (PMA), left, and another containing 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA).

The tablets at the top contain 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and Caffeine.
The tablets at the bottom contain 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and Ketamine
# Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a stimulant amphetamine-derivative, triggering a sense of well-being, empathy, talkativeness and heightened sensuality. Hallucinations are reported sometimes. Counter-effects include anxiety (jaw-clenching), vomiting, over-heating, renal and heart failure.

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA)
# Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) is closely-related to MDMA (ecstasy), but is considered more psychedelic, toxic and unpredictable.

A tablet containing amphetamine, left and another with Amphetamine and Caffeine
# Amphetamine/methylamphetamine (MA) is increasingly passed off as ecstasy, either wholly or as one of several adulterants brought together in a bid to mimic the effects of MDMA. Boosted heart and breathing rates, anxiety, paranoia and aggression are common.
# MA and caffeine are mixed to create what is known is the US and Asia as ``yaba'' or ``Nazi speed''. The hybrid is a potent central nervous system stimulant – with longer-lasting effects than cocaine. Increased heart rate and body temperature. Chronic abuse can prompt paranoid delusions.

A tablet, top left, containing 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), Ketamine and Caffeine
# Ketamine hydrochloride, aka ``Special K'' or "K," is a general anaesthetic used in veterinary medicine – often in surgery on horses. It elicits vivid hallucinations marked by out-of-body experiences. Higher doses can result in suppressed breathing; combination with heavy alcohol consumption can be extremely dangerous.

A tablet, bottom left, with 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), 4-methylmethcathinone
The gorgon's face hides 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and Amphetamine

LSD, left, and Ethylcathinone and 4-methylmethcathinone.
# Lysergic acid diethylamide is a powerful psychedelic, popular in the 1960s, that can cause panic attacks, depression, anxiety and paranoia. Years after taking the drug, users can still experience spontaneous auditory and visual hallucinations.

# Ethylcathinone and 4-methylmethcathinone are stimulants, recently linked to several teenage deaths in Sweden.The drugs can cause hypothermia and organ failure.

A tablet, left, contains Paracetamol, Caffeine and Oxycodone
# Known as hillbilly heroin, oxycodone is a morphine-based medication provided to cancer patients and other chronic pain sufferers. Brand names include OxyContin and Endocodone. The product is regularly prescribed inappropriately, then re-sold into the black market. ``In the hands of the wrong person, (oxycodone) can cause nausea, drowsiness and even death,'' says NSW Health Acting Chief Pharmacist Bruce Battye.

The tablet, right, contains Paracetamol and Codeine, the two active ingredients in over-the-counter headache and pain-reliever products such as Panadeine. While unlikely to have any stimulant effect, these can be bad news for people who have life-threatening allergies to the opiate codeine.

Benzylpiperazine (BZP) was originally synthesised as an antiparasitic agent for farm animals, but exploded onto the recreational drug scene in the late 1990s – New Zealand became a prime market – for its amphetamine-like effects. Reported adverse reactions include acute psychosis, palpitations, hyperventilation, seizures and renal poisoning.

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and Tramadol
# Tramadol is a prescription, narcotic-like pain-reliever that can quickly lead to dependence. Heavy doses carry the high risk of convulsions.

The blue butterfly, top left, mixes Methylamphetamine (MA) and Diazepam, while the rest of the tablets contain Methylamphetamine (MA) and 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA).
# Prescription-only benzodiazepines or "benzos" are used to treat anxiety and poor sleep. Brand names: Niravam, Xanax, Xanax XR (alprazolam) and Diastat, Valium (diazepam). Alprazolam is frequently used with methadone to produce a heroin-like high. Combining opiates with benzodiazepines and alcohol is a common cause of death among IV drug users.

These tablets all contain Paramethoxy Amphetamine (PMA). PMA is a hallucinogen falsely sold as ecstasy with a slim margin between safe and lethal doses. Slow onset of initial "rush" may encourage users to swallow more pills. But even if additional doses are true MDMA, the risks are exacerbated due to a toxic synergy between the two.

Caffeine and Alprazolam, left, and caffeine
# Prescription-only benzodiazepines or ``benzos''' for treating anxiety and poor sleep. Brand names: Niravam, Xanax, Xanax XR (alprazolam) and Diastat, Valium (diazepam). Alprazolam is frequently used with methadone to produce a heroin-like high. Combining opiates with benzodiazepines and alcohol is a common cause of death among IV drug users.

Methandienone is an anabolic steroid.

These tablets were found to contain no dangerous drugs at all. An ecstasy fake could be a simple sugar or fluoride pill.

Courier-Mail

 

[Jakeperson]

Only 60%?

I was trying to be overly conservative with that estimation.

 

[The-Munt]

This is all very over the top!

Are these articles actually in the newspaper in QLD?

 

[belarki]

This is all very over the top!

Are these articles actually in the newspaper in QLD?

Yes, the entire front page + 4 pages in the middle of the paper, both yesterday and today, and from the looks of things tomorrow too. It's embarassing!

To be honest I was suprised to see a pic of the bermuda triangle from a few years back.... only pill I've ever heard of with LSD in it and they managed to include it in thier report.

Today, The Courier-Mail can reveal a range of bogus contents purporting to be ecstasy after securing the release of screening results from pills and capsules seized over the past year.

I call bullshit! Let's see any actual references to these screening results, where they were sourced from, dates, quantities, GCMS results etc etc! They could have made their list from pillreports!

 

[smashed]

jesus christ some of those articles are full of shit.

 

[Somewhat-damaged]

Without credible sources the newspaper is a joke.
Same old anti-drug crap every other media outlet dribbles.

 

[static_mind]

Maybe they got the reports useing freedom of infomation.

 

[Tronica]

It's certainly quite a spread!!

I'm surprised at how much of it is lifted from other places though.

I do feel for the mum who lost her daughter. I just wish the response to this sad situation is to educate, educate, educate - rather than think we have a chance of 'stamping out drug use'.

 

[danau]

I overheard some people at work talking about the 'crushed glass and rat poison' shit at work today. I *really* had to school myself not to refute this, as I don't want people at work knowing my use

But god it makes me angry that publications like this are un-informing people, rather than informing them

 

[hoptis]

It's certainly quite a spread!!

I'm surprised at how much of it is lifted from other places though.

It's pretty full on, and most of the material seems original (even if it's the same broken record) the only copy that looks reproduced is Monday's advice from government information on how to talk to your kids about drugs.

 

[Crankinit]

And of course nothing about harm reduction, no suggestions about how to actually improve things. Just more blowing things out of proportion and demonizing users and profitting off moral panic. Good old Aussie media at it again.

 

[hoptis]

Pushers turn to mail system to traffick their drugs
Article from: The Courier-Mail
Michael Crutcher and Matthew Fynes-Clinton
March 31, 2009 11:00pm

DRUG exporters are turning to the postal system in a bid to get illicit drugs into Australia.

And border authorities admit they face a challenge to detect the substances amid the estimated 160 million pieces of mail to be sent into the nation this year.

The Courier-Mail has learnt that drug dealers are sending small parcels through the post, fully expecting to lose some to border authorities but expecting they will get enough through to make a profit.

Ecstasy traffickers were keeping parcels to between 300 grams and 500 grams and were increasingly sending through MDMA powder because it was more difficult to detect than pills.

Australian Customs national intelligence manager Andrew Rice said MDMA or ecstasy detections in the post were rising, with more than two every week in the past financial year.

"The detections in the post are going up in their sheer number, not necessarily in weight," Mr Rice said.

"There is no pretence from us that we do miss things just because of the volumes.

"Even in that environment of mass input, we do quite well in terms of significant proportion of drugs being sent through the postal system. But we do see criminals moving between different importation methods and the significant shipments are still likely to be attempted by sea cargo."

Australia is obliged under a United Nations charter to accept mail from across the world. This year, Customs expects 120 million letters and 40 million parcels to be sent from overseas to the checking points in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

Mail is screened by Customs or the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, through the likes of sniffer dog patrols and X-rays, before being handed to Australia Post for distribution.

"We think about every item of mail. Some items are given different treatment based on the different risks that we assess," Mr Rice said.

The figures for ecstasy busts in the last three years have been distorted by the monster find of 4.4 tonnes or 15 million pills in a shipping container in Melbourne in June 2007. The container, sent from Italy, was stacked with tinned tomatoes but Customs authorities were suspicious when X-rays revealed inconsistencies in the tins' contents. Customs alerted the Australian Federal Police, which decided to seek more information by following the drugs. They opened each tin and replaced the ecstasy with harmless tablets and then followed the trail. An investigation lasting more than a year, involving 400 AFP agents and 20,000 hours of surveillance, resulted in 20 arrests.

In the last financial year, Customs detected 172kg of MDMA/ecstasy and a further 260kg of amphetamine-type stimulants among mail and cargo.

This compares with 611kg of cocaine, 72kg of heroin and 49kg of cannabis.

Customs also made large detections of precursor chemicals to methamphetamines, including 105kg of pseudoephedrine in air cargo 18 months ago.

Mr Rice said the criminal networks that controlled much of the world's illicit drug trade had "access to specialist knowledge around the import and export fields". "The game is all about concealment," he said.

Courier-Mail

 

[hoptis]

Paramedic warns dealers, users to think of the risk
Article from: The Courier-Mail
Trent Dalton
March 31, 2009 11:00pm

ON call ... paramedic Ian Tucker says party drugs are rife on the Gold Coast. Picture: Jodie Richter

TO Queensland's backyard drug manufacturers, Gold Coast intensive care paramedic Ian Tucker offers one plea: "Think of the consequences."

Think of the 16-year-old girl lying dead at a party. Think of her mother when she hears the bad news. Think of the 11,429 drug-related incidents Queensland paramedics attended in 2007-08.

An ambulance officer for 14 years, Tucker started in Sydney, in Cabramatta and Liverpool, where he attended an overdose "every single day, every single shift".

Moving to the Gold Coast seven years ago, and now stationed at Southport, Tucker saw a change in the drug culture.

"You don't see as much heroin up here," he says.

"This is the party capital of Australia so there's a lot of party drugs: ecstasy, fantasy, amphetamines."

"With the heroin overdoses we could reverse the effects with a drug, Narcan. You'd wake the patient up and they would probably go off of their own accord and not need transportation to hospital," he says.

"Here on the Coast, the aim has to be to get these guys to the hospital. We might not know what's wrong with them. We've got to play it safe."

But callouts can be dangerous.

"We do a lot of stand-offs where we stand off until police arrive. But like us, they're pretty strapped for manpower so it might take a little while to get there," he says.

Tucker's primary concern when he gets to patients is protecting the airway. He tracks vital signs and assesses the surroundings. He then gathers information from available bystanders.

Often the drug user is saved. Sometimes they're not. It's frustrating, Tucker says, but the ambulance officer must move on.

"It's the brick wall," Tucker says. "I put up a brick wall. I do my bit and I move on.

"And I don't think about it. That's my coping mechanism."

Courier-Mail

 

[hoptis]

Rogue chemist employs the internet to spread the word
Article from: The Courier-Mail
Matthew Fynes-Clinton
March 31, 2009 11:00pm

A CLICK of the mouse and 206 pages of Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture, 7th edition, by "Uncle Fester", drops on the hard-drive.

A seconds-long process, and there is my manual for mind games; my 26 chapters to enlightenment (apparently).

How's this for an (edited) opening homily?

Beyond any doubt, this is the best book ever written on the subject of clandestine chemistry, by anyone, anywhere, anytime, period ...

What this work reveals is the utter futility of the so-called "War on Drugs".

Any laws against victimless crimes can be easily evaded - "criminals" are just plain smarter than the Drug Clowns.

Even the most cursory reading of this text shows that most of my references are from common standard chemical literature - that's right, folks, "drugs" are merely chemicals, and knowledge of how they are produced can never be removed from the body of civilised knowledge.

So grow up, "Drug Warriors", and get a life!

A hollowed-out Bible, a copy of Secrets in the cavity, was discovered by US police in a major methamphetamine bust in Indiana a few years ago that also yielded guns, ammunition and cash.

When police in Philadelphia seized $1.8 million worth of methamphetamine in a more recent operation, investigators tripped over Fester's drug book.

"Oh yes, the Fester book and others ... we see them coming through many times," says senior chemist Peter Culshaw, who heads the Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services team that examines police evidence from clandestine laboratory raids.

"In Queensland, we have laws that make it illegal to possess instructions to make a dangerous drug. But people just buy books from Amazon.com and Customs don't pick it up.

"Also we see print-outs from the internet. People are going to various drug sites and printing up mass pages (of methamphetamine production instructions)."

Uncle Fester's real name is Steve Preisler, an industrial chemist aged in his late 40s with degrees in chemistry and biology from Marquette University, Milwaukee.

In 1985, the divorced father-of-two wrote Secrets (for underground publisher Loompanics Unlimited) during a spell in prison for making methamphetamine. This year, the ninth edition rolled off the press.

Dr Culshaw says the book - which includes formulas for other drugs in the amphetamine class such as MDMA (ecstasy) and the psychedelic MDA - is "aimed at the fairly dumb end of the market".

But that's precisely why it's is so dangerous.

"Methamphetamine," he says, "is just a case of adding three chemicals, heat and wait - and you've made the drug. Simple as that.

"It's a bit like making a cake. When you make a cake, there's complex chemistry going on when it goes into the oven.

"But you don't need to know that chemistry. You just follow a recipe."

In Australia, the most widely-practised "hypo" technique involves the reaction of pseudoephedrine with the reducing agent hypophosphorous acid, and iodine.

The latter two ingredients are on the controlled substances list and pharmacies have recently introduced tighter regulations on the sale of pseudoephedrine-rich cold and flu tablets to help stem their flow into illicit use.

But fears are held that while the measures may have eliminated some cottage-industry producers, organised crime - with its powerful network of international contacts - will step into the breach, importing precursor chemicals en masse and establishing super-labs, capable of producing 200,000 to 300,000 doses of methamphetamine in a single "cook."

Queensland Crime and Misconduct Commission Director Of Intelligence Christopher Keen says outlaw bikers are one group to watch.

There is evidence of increasing "sophistication" in their illicit drug dealings.

"(They are) getting overseas bank accounts, and moving offshore to source the stuff they need," he says.

Mr Keen says criminal bikie gangs have also grabbed a larger slice of the ecstasy market over the past two years.

Ecstasy, traditionally imported into Australia in ready-made tablets or synthesised powdered form (and pressed into pills here) appears to be growing a domestic manufacturing base.

The Australian Crime Commission reports that MDMA clandestine laboratory detections increased by 171 per cent (from 7 to 19) in 2006-07.

Courier-Mail

 

[hoptis]

Dealer sells only to his very wide circle of friends
Article from: The Courier-Mail
Josh Robertson
March 31, 2009 11:00pm

SEVERAL hundred ecstasy pills a month pass through Geoff's hands, but he baulks at the tag dealer - he says he's just helping out a few good mates.

"(I'm) more like someone who can just hook you up if you need it," he says.

"A dealer's someone that trafficks large amounts and does it purposely and usually has contact with the people that make it and has knowledge about how it is distributed and usually distributes interstate."

Geoff (not his real name) says the appetite for "party drugs" within his circle originally had him making frequent visits to a minor dealer on behalf of friends.

This eventually wore thin and he decided to cut out the middleman.

Geoff now finds himself ferrying pills through festival gates, past nightclub bouncers and to inner-city Brisbane parties to accommodate a wide circle of acquaintances.

He says he sells only to people with whom he has a personal connection.

"And I don't deliberately go and push it. There's plenty of other people that do that," he says.

Just last month, Geoff says, a national-level sportsman - a household name - approached him via a mutual friend to buy ecstasy.

He refused. "I just wouldn't do it, man, unless I knew him," Geoff says.

The indiscreet behaviour of many of the people he already knows is exasperating enough, he says.

One rung above people such as Geoff are suppliers who can unload hundreds of pills at a time, usually on credit to minor dealers they trust.

A hundred pills might cost as little as $12 each, then be sold individually for between $25 and $30.

Prices have fallen steadily since the mid-1990s, when a pill cost as much as $80. Something once considered wasteful and unaffordable is now seen as fast-acting and sociable; a party ritual to be shared alongside barbecued meat and cold beer in the refrigerator.

Ask Geoff about quality control and the issue of a dangerous, even fatal, cocktail of ingredients doesn't enter into it.

Quality control is instead a matter of the appropriate intensity of the pleasure induced.

And the quality fairly regularly doesn't match expectations, despite assurances from his suppliers they screen batches for traces of unwanted amphetamines or PMA.

"It's annoying because generally everyone will tell you that it's good but it's not always good," he says.

"So you have to make sure for yourself that it's decent quality, or else I'll just give them back. I think they're just generally getting weaker."

Geoff is reluctant to talk much about his current suppliers, aside from saying they're polite and courteous business owners.

The Courier-Mail has learnt there is a Brisbane nightclub owner operating at about this level, purchasing thousands of pills at a time.

The club owner keeps a shotgun as a precaution.

Courier-Mail

 

[hoptis]

Suburban methamphetamine chefs brew noxious mix
Article from: The Courier-Mail
Matthew Fynes-Clinton
March 31, 2009 11:00pm

IN the home of the suburban methamphetamine cook, stovetops steam with explosive brews and kitchen sinks are receptacles for dirty spoons, pipes, needles and coils of plastic tubing.

Bathrooms store bulbous glassware and vats of caustic chemicals and reagents.

And too often, say police and health authorities, children are in harm's way.

"I have personally been into lab environments in Brisbane where the gear is set up, people are producing drugs, and the children's toys are around on the floor," says Peter Culshaw, senior chemist and head of clandestine laboratory investigation with Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services.

"Soft toys ... teddy bears are contaminated; things like that absolutely absorb drug chemicals and children tend to put everything in their mouth.

"But worse than that, when methamphetamine is produced, there are some highly poisonous gases. One of those is phosphene - it's been used as a chemical warfare agent."

Dr Culshaw says that as Queensland police become more familiar with the toxic threat posed to children of drug cooks, offenders are being dealt a sterner hand.

"Now, they're often charging people with possession of the drug and lab and also with child endangerment."

Despite recent crackdowns on the purchase of cold and flu tablets containing pseudoephedrine - the key precursor chemical in the manufacture of "speed" and "ice" - so-called clan labs continue to turn over millions of dollars.

And with most lab busts occurring in Queensland, the state wallows in a decade-long reputation as the nation's speed capital.

In 2006-07, Queensland police detected 132 clan labs, 29 less than the previous year. The number was still almost double the No.2 state, Victoria, where 72 laboratories were uncovered.

Queensland police point to two possible mitigating factors, the first being that their intelligence-gathering may simply be superior.

But as well, distinct from interstate, many labs encountered are the smaller-output "boxed" variety - suitcase-sized kits with heating mantles, reaction vessels, precursors and instructions.

The labs sell for $10,000 to $20,000, may be ferried in car boots and reduce cooking time from several days to hours.

Hotel rooms, sometimes five-star, are regularly utilised, police say.

Dr Culshaw says: "A cook can come in overnight and leave the following day - it's easier for them to avoid detection.

"One of the big problems with that, and people using rental properties, is that once you've cooked there, you've contaminated that room with toxic chemicals, many of them cancer-causing.

"Those chemical vapours go into soft furnishings and the walls. The next person going in is not going to know."

Yet the possible settings are endless.

"We've had labs in shipping containers buried in the ground, where people go through a hole in the roof and drop down," Dr Culshaw says.

"We've had labs in commercial facilities ... a company running a legitimate business in pharmaceuticals, but siphoning off materials behind the scenes"

In Queensland, while manufacture can be highly organised, it is equally undertaken by divergent individuals and collectives maintaining loose supply ties with groups such as outlaw motorcycle gangs.

Cooks are not chemists. Their methods are either self-taught from internet recipes and other published material, or passed down by others.

"Labs are a euphemism," says Royal Brisbane Hospital burns unit director Dr Michael Rudd.

"There isn't too much stainless steel and white coats there."

It's this lack of formal theory that imperils both makers and users.

Chemical explosions can, and do, happen. Dr Rudd, who has seen the results, says almost always they're the sort of burns that need surgery.

For the end-product user, the quality of speed or ice is variable.

An ill-conceived batch may contain toxic byproducts or impurities. A fraudulent or inept cook without the skill to convert speed to highly purified ice, will introduce the health food supplement methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) to create a crystal-like veneer.

On the street, ice will fetch $400 per gram, speed powder $165 per gram.

"Your average speed concentration is about 10 to 15 per cent methamphetamine," Dr Culshaw says.

"By analysis, with ice, we would expect it to be at least 60 to 70 per cent. But it's not.

"While it might be ice by appearance, over the last three months, out of 232 items of methamphetamine, we have seen only six which are over 55 per cent."

Courier-Mail