Police warn on new drug
SALLY GLAETZER
October 29, 2009 08:12am
TASMANIAN police are tackling a "new generation" of street drugs, which are being made in a bid to circumvent existing laws.
Police said there had been a dramatic shift in the past year towards a new type of party drug with the street name of Israeli's.
The drugs are sold in capsule form and contain derivatives of methcathinone, a psychoative stimulant, the Department of Police and Emergency Management's annual report says.
The report says the drugs have been produced "in an attempt to circumvent existing legislation".
Southern Drug Investigation Services chief Ian Lindsay said police became aware of the drug and launched an operation earlier this year.
"We've seen a trend this year with a new type of party drug called Israeli's," Detective-Inspector Lindsay said yesterday.
"We conducted an investigation at the start of the year and a number of persons were charged with trafficking."
Det-Insp Lindsay said the drugs were seized in Hobart and Launceston. Three people were charged and will face court.
"Since the investigation, there's been a dramatic reduction in the number of Israeli's seized in the state ... the arrests and seizures have had an impact as to their availability," he said.
The belief that such drugs would not lead to criminal charges were misguided because methcathinone was listed as a controlled drug in Tasmania, he said.
Det-Insp Lindsay warned people against taking the capsules.
"As with any illicit drug, when you don't know what the contents are there is a risk," he said.
Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia director Paul Dillon agreed that methcathinone derivatives were emerging as a new generation of street drugs.
However, he cautioned against using the label Israeli's for the drugs.
"It's just a street term for something. It's a marketing pitch more than anything else," he said.
He said the term Israeli's was simply a label that could be applied to any party drug.
"People don't say they're going out to buy ecstasy any more, they say they're going out to buy pills ... they don't know what they're getting," he said.
Themercury.com.au
SALLY GLAETZER
October 29, 2009 08:12am
TASMANIAN police are tackling a "new generation" of street drugs, which are being made in a bid to circumvent existing laws.
Police said there had been a dramatic shift in the past year towards a new type of party drug with the street name of Israeli's.
The drugs are sold in capsule form and contain derivatives of methcathinone, a psychoative stimulant, the Department of Police and Emergency Management's annual report says.
The report says the drugs have been produced "in an attempt to circumvent existing legislation".
Southern Drug Investigation Services chief Ian Lindsay said police became aware of the drug and launched an operation earlier this year.
"We've seen a trend this year with a new type of party drug called Israeli's," Detective-Inspector Lindsay said yesterday.
"We conducted an investigation at the start of the year and a number of persons were charged with trafficking."
Det-Insp Lindsay said the drugs were seized in Hobart and Launceston. Three people were charged and will face court.
"Since the investigation, there's been a dramatic reduction in the number of Israeli's seized in the state ... the arrests and seizures have had an impact as to their availability," he said.
The belief that such drugs would not lead to criminal charges were misguided because methcathinone was listed as a controlled drug in Tasmania, he said.
Det-Insp Lindsay warned people against taking the capsules.
"As with any illicit drug, when you don't know what the contents are there is a risk," he said.
Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia director Paul Dillon agreed that methcathinone derivatives were emerging as a new generation of street drugs.
However, he cautioned against using the label Israeli's for the drugs.
"It's just a street term for something. It's a marketing pitch more than anything else," he said.
He said the term Israeli's was simply a label that could be applied to any party drug.
"People don't say they're going out to buy ecstasy any more, they say they're going out to buy pills ... they don't know what they're getting," he said.
Themercury.com.au
I wouldn't be at all sorry to see mephedrone disappear into obscurity.
