Australia to ban importation of synthetic drugs

The Australian government will develop legislation to ban the importation of unauthorised psychoactive substances or "synthetic drugs," the country's Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Justice Jason Clare announced on Sunday. The legislation will implement a "reverse onus of proof" scheme, which means new drugs coming onto the market are presumed to be illegal until the authorities know what they are and clear them as safe and legal. Now there are a range of synthetic drugs being sold, including through the internet, that mimic the effects of illegal drugs like cannabis, cocaine and methamphetamine. Meanwhile, the federal government is imposing an interim national ban on 19 synthetic drugs after Sydney teenager Henry Kwan plunged from a balcony thinking he could fly after taking a synthetic form of LSD bought on the internet. The ban will prohibit the sale and supply of the drugs for 120 days, giving state and territories time to update their legislation and outlaw synthetic drugs. Clare said a coordinated national approach to banning the sale, manufacture and advertising of these drugs is vital so that manufacturers are not able to exploit legislative inconsistencies between each state and territory. A national drug monitoring system will be established to collect and disseminate information on synthetic drugs. This will include the development of a new drug monitoring and information sharing database that makes use of existing intelligence sharing networks and information sources from around Australia and internationally. The database will be administered by the Australian Federal Police and will provide a secure source of information regarding synthetic drugs including their chemical profiles, street names, potential harms, sources, supply channels and distribution methods.