1. Not For Human Consumption Plant food, bath salts, research chemicals and incense Stephen Bright

2. Introduction Rapid increase in the availability of new drugs ECMDAA: from 24 in 2009 to 49 in 2011 3. Outline Brief History of Designer Drugs New and Emerging Drugs in Australia? oVarious powders/pills: Plant Food, Bath Salts, Research Chemicals o Synthetic Cannabis (incense) Reasons For Use Harm, Prevalence and Monitoring Systems Policy Options 4. Borrowing ideas... CialisCrestorZocor/LipexLevitra 5. First Designer Drugs 1925: 2nd International Opium Convention (revised) - controlled the manufacture & sale of heroin- new drugs (e.g., benzoylmorphine)1930: First analogues act introduced 6. Opening Pandoras Box 7. Not For Human Consuption 8. The Legal Highs Industry Legal Highs Party Pills containing BZP 9. 2008/2009: Plant Food Plant food (e.g., Dove feeder) 10. Cathinone 11. 2008/2009: Plant FoodPhthalimidopropiophenone 12. 2008/2009: Plant Food 4-methylmethcathinone Miaow Miaow 13. Video slide deleted for online publication. 14. Bath Salts Flephedrone: 4-fluromethcathinone MDPV: MethylenedioxypyrovaleroneBath Salts 15. Bath Salts 16. Synthetic Cocaine 17. 2nd Generation Synthetic Cocaine May 2012: MDPV Banned in Australia by TGA No published analysis of synthetic cocaine Shamans dust white bull, etc. After US banned MDPV, new bathsalts contained: -Pyrrolidinovalerophenone (-PVP) Methyl--pyrrolidinopropiophenone (Shanks et al., 2012) 18. Research Chemicals Methoxetamine (MXE) Overdose pair had luck and an expert on their side (Canberra Times, April 13 2013)25I-NBOMe NSW teen dies after taking LSD (National Nine News, December 6 2012) 19. How harmful are these new drugs? >1 alleged death Little dataIs this a public health crisis waiting to happen? 20. Synthetic Cannabis 21. What is synthetic cannabis? 2004: Spice (Deluca et al., 2010) 22. Kronic 2011: Kronic emerged as a new drug in Australia Produced in New Zealand 23. Kronic April: First indication of media interest, which quickly grew June: WA government bans 7 synthetic cannabinoids JWH-018 JWH-073 JWH-122 JWH-200 JWH-250 CP 47,497 The C8 Homologue of CP 47,497 24. Google trends: Searches for KronicBright et al. (in press) 25. Social Media 26. Smoke em up Party 27. Federal responses May 2012: 8 broad groups of synthetic cannabinoid agonists Benzoylindoles, Cyclohexylphenols, Dibenzopyra ns, Naphthoylindoles, Naphthylmethylindoles, N aphthoylpyrroles, Naphthylmethylindenes & Phenylacetylindoles Synthetic cannabinomimetics 28. How harmful are these new drugs? At least 1 Death reported in the media Little data: new blends more harmful? Barratt, Cakic & Lenton (2013) 2012 Global Drug Survey No Cannabidiol (CBD) psychosis/seizures Shorter duration of effect dependence 29. Why do people use this stuff? They work! Media and online user forum Its apparently legal & safe Avoid drug tests 30. Scoring Online 31. Why do people use this stuff? They work! Media and online user forum Its apparently legal & safe Avoid drug tests Availability of new drugs vs. Ecstasy Unwittingly 32. The Merry-Go-Round Policy Banning individual chemicals as they emerge: - No real decrease in availability - New and more harmful drugs enter market 33. Alternative Policy Approaches Analogues Laws - Problematic to enforce - Impede medical research - Unintended consequences 34. Alternative Policy Approaches Consumer/Medicine Law Regulation 35. Early Warning System Current Monitoring Systems - EDRS - Wastewater analysis - Acute presentations An Ideal Monitoring System: -Monitoring the web Monitoring stores Verification via current systems Strategic Communication 36. Conclusion Drug taking is here to stay and one way or another, we must all learn to live with drugs (Gossop, 2007, p. 207)Stephen Bright PenDAP & Youth sbright@phcn.vic.gov.au 03 9784 7108