Wellll....
I can't really speak for the rest of Australia, but if the cops in SA are worried about PMA, it's probably because we told them to be. I can't really blame them for latching onto it, given that everything that is known about it suggests that is a very dangerous drug.
If you look at it from the perspective of people who don't use pills...
-You have a big bowl of a 1000 smarties;
-You know that nearly all of the smarties have been made by people who have never seen the inside of the confectionary trade;
-You know that 10 of the smarties will have a 50% chance of making you so sick that you will end up in a hospital ICU, or kill you;
-You know that recently, some of the smarties (an unknown number) have been so strong that they make people sick, or worse, kill them;
-You know that too many smarties in one go will make you sick or kill you, and that Australian smartie consumers are not known for their moderation in smartie consumption;
-You know that a subpopulation of smartie consumers are either on drugs that interact with smarties, are trying recreationally use drugs that interact with smarties, or genetically do not seem to be able to digest smarties very well;
-There is a growing body of evidence that prolonged use of smarties might have significant impacts on your mental health in later life...
Q: Will the smarties company be allowed to stay in business for long?
While I agree that the media will generally print stories, or put a spin on stories that will sell newspapers, it is academically unsound to suggest that using pills is a 'safe' practice. For people who choose to use them, the benefits outweigh the perceived risks. The manner in which pills are made and consumed in Australia makes them unsafe. Sure, you can argue about the relative safeties of drugs alcohol cigarettes etc, but no-one should delude themselves into thinking that they are not taking risks by choosing to use pills. There is occasionally a suggestion by some on Bluelight that anyone who says anything bad about drugs is just twisting some truth that all recreational drug use is a perfectly safe practice. I am sure that there are some miserable ould bastards who disapprove of pill use because it's illegal, or even because evil youth are involved; most of us have concerns because it can be dangerous