Govt on front foot in war on synthetic drugs

WA drug dealers will no longer be able to stay a step ahead of the law by producing alternative synthetic substances, after a move by the State Government to make nine new synthetic drugs illegal under the Poisons Act.

The substances included one potent synthetic opioid and eight synthetic cannabinoids, known by street names such as Blue Magic, OMG Tea, VIP Champagne, Ritzy and Red Dragon.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health Alyssa Hayden said in a ministerial statement that each of these substances had appeared in WA over the past 12 months, having been detected through blood samples analysed in Coroners cases, through routine drug testing and drug seizures.

Ms Hayden said the nine drugs listed in the Poisons Act last month potentially had very serious health consequences, with some even found to have caused deaths.

“They routinely have effects including altered mental state, confusion, disorientation and hallucinations, high blood pressure and increased heart rate,” she said.

“In the case of the synthetic opioid, known as W-18, I am advised that ChemCentre testing found it to be 10,000 times more potent than morphine.”

The Misuse of Drugs Amendment (Psychoactive Substances) Bill 2015 introduced by the State Government last year prohibits the sale, manufacture, advertising and promotion of any psychoactive substance unless approved under existing legislation or regulation.

Prior to legislation, a drug needed to be specifically scheduled as prohibited to be counted as an illegal drug.

Ms Hayden said while the Misuse of Drugs Act already made psychoactive substances illegal, WA Police report the specific naming of substances under the Poisons Act removed any doubt and assisted with enforcement of the law.

“There has been a continuing battle to control synthetic drugs, with new compounds being synthesised to stay ahead of the law by providing alternatives to prohibited drugs,” she said.

“With the amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act passed last year and the Poisons Act, we now have the machinery to stop drug producers and suppliers from avoiding the law by refining new substances.

“As we are now doing with the nine new drugs now, the Government will continue to act as other new drugs emerge.”

Labor Member for Mining and Pastoral Stephen Dawson said this was welcome news for regional communities like the Pilbara, where constituents were reporting drugs were becoming more prevalent.

Mr Dawson said while he welcomed the addition of these substances to the Poisons Act, more funding was needed to tackle drug abuse in Port Hedland.

“If we are to tackle the growing number of incidences of antisocial behaviour and drug use then we need to better resource the police so they can hunt down the drug peddlers,” he said.

“The Government must also ensure that detox and rehab beds are available to help those seeking to kick their drug addictions.

“Good laws are one thing but unless we provide rehabilitation facilities and properly fund the police, then we're never going to be able to really combat the drug problem.”