The Australian 07/03/05 - Challenge to illegal drug trade

[charlesbronson]

Challenge to illegal drug trade

March 07, 2005

DRUGS used to combat the common cold would be harder to buy under an Australia-wide plan to stop the production of illegal drugs, a peak pharmaceutical body said today.

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia president, John Bronger, said pharmacies had joined with police under Project Pseudo to stop criminals buying cold and flu tablets for their pseudoephedrine – the main ingredient for the illegal street drug, speed.

"Criminal gangs have been known to engage in speed runs up and down the east coast and other areas targeting pharmacies and accumulating a large number of packets (of tablets)," he said.

"This is the type of behaviour we want to help police stop."

The new Project Pseudo voluntary guidelines for pharmacists include hiding some types of cold and flu tablets from consumers, reducing stock and limiting sales of pseudoephedrine-based drugs to one packet a customer.

NSW Police drug squad detective inspector Paul Willingham said speed, or methylamphetamine, was growing in popularity at an alarming rate.

"Methylamphetamine is probably the fastest growing drug being located in the state and across the country," he said.

"In the clandestine drug laboratories located in NSW last year – those that were producing methylamphetamine – we would estimate 90 per cent of them were sourced from cough and cold tablets.

"We weren't able to link those cough and cold tablets back to large break, enter and steals or thefts from manufacturers.

"Where evidence was available it (drugs) was from organised pharmacy runs."

Sixty arrests had been made for pharmacy running, most from intelligence from pharmacies, Insp Willingham said.

One packet of 30 tablets was enough to produce 20 street doses of methylamphetamine, worth up to $2000, he said.

--Link


After single preparation Sudafed 60mg tablets were made Schedule 3 Recordable, meth manufacturers found that it wasn't all that hard to pull the pseudo out of tablets that were sustained release (12hour or 24hour relief), or out of those that were compounded with other actives. So now, all remaining pseudoephedrine medicines without other actives, or with an antihistamine as the ONLY other active will be kept "out of reach and out of sight" of the public, whilst those pseudo products with an antihistamine and at least one other active will be kept "out of reach" of the public.

But I don't think they are being rescheduled... and sales won't involve recording of personal details, that would be a little bit too messy. Anyone think it will make a significant difference?

Will the ordinary consumer think that the added hassle of not getting to look at and decide what product they would like is worth any positive outcomes?

They must be confident that restricting the ability of local producers to cook up won't result in a rush of pseudo or meth importation from overseas, to grab a tasty slice of the lucrative market....!

 

[phase_dancer]

Ephedrine Sir?...er, Sir is that a false nose, mustache & glasses you're wearing?

I believe it will simply involve groups taking a bit longer to obtain product. Runners are no doubt cheap to fuel 8)

It wouldn't take much to case the situation properly IMO. Most pharmacies have staff changes over a normal working week, meaning the same purchaser might return without looking suspicious. Returning to a pharmacy 3 times in a week with a running nose (bit o' pepper would do the trick) wouldn't look sus either IMO.

It might not be a popular opinion but if authorities are dead set keen to remove this source, it means fully clamping down, and that means all pseudo and ephedrine containing medications need to be signed and accounted for. End of story.

 

[VelocideX]

^^ Funny you mention ephedrine... didn't realise it was available in australia, but sure enough its to prevent bronchial spasam and as a bronchodilator. Wish I could get some!

 

[phase_dancer]

This was released 2000

Ephedrine

There have been enquiries recently about the status of ephedrine on prescription. Ephedrine is a Schedule 4 drug, used principally to manage enuresis. Some time ago, to minimise diversion, the drug's registration was modified by the Commonwealth to state it was to be used only in public sector institutions and private hospitals. However this restriction no longer applies, and legal prescriptions for ephedrine tablets may be supplied, so long as you are reasonably sure the patient's needs, and the prescription, are genuine.

From here

From MIMS it's available as the HCl salt tablets for bronchospasms and nasal instillation for topical nasapharyngeal complaints, and as a sulphate injection for use as a vaspressor or an adrenergic stimulant.

BTW, if you're after a good dose of ephedrine, you might like to try visiting a herbal high stall at a doof or festival. Man, the ephedra tea can pack a boot, so approach with caution. At a festival we attended as workers, we were offered free cups to help us through the day. One at lunch time was more than sufficient, and I still felt uncomfortably wired hours later.

 

[Sketchwreck]

One of my old dealers used to cut us a discount for every packet of tablets we brought him. Worked for him well.

 

[Leprechaun]

I read a paper on Amphetamine production through ephedra. Essentially, you can make Meth-amphetamine + Amphetamine in one feel swoop. Then if you have the correct equipment you can distill and seperate the two.

I won't post the link up here since it is a detailed manufacturing process for illegal substances through ephedra. I am not a fan of the stimulants but it was interesting to read that Amphetamine is a product of the synthesis of ephedra plant material.

 

[phase_dancer]

Pseudo and ephedrine are essentially the same molecule except for orientation of the OH group on the first alkyl carbon which is chiral. As these compounds also have a second chiral carbon with an amine attached, it means the hydroxy compound has a total of 4 possible configurations (isomers).

Of course this orientation can make a difference pharmacologically, and is why the actions of pseudo and ephedrine differ somewhat. Chemically speaking, in reference to either pseudo or ephedrine, OH orientation decides whether the reduction product is D or L in configuration.

 

[BigTrancer]

Well I think that's clear as crystal thanks P_D

BT