Australia: Drugs rife at major events

MELBOURNE'S major events are being held in a binge of illicit drugs.

Scientific tests detected cocaine and amphetamines at the Melbourne Cup.

It was the latest result from a series of tests commissioned by the Sunday Herald Sun.

Over the past 15 months, traces of cocaine, amphetamines and ecstasy were found in nightclubs and at Melbourne's gala events -- including the Logies and the Brownlow Medal count.

It is understood that undercover drug squad detectives attended the Melbourne Cup and Oaks Day race meetings.

The Sunday Herald Sun took swabs from toilets in the Victoria Racing Club members stand at Flemington and had them tested by an accredited scientific laboratory.

Two swabs from the men's toilets returned positive results for cocaine and amphetamines. There were no positive results from the women's bathrooms.

The VRC did not comment on the results.

In May, traces of cocaine and amphetamines were found at the television industry's Logie Awards.

In September, evidence emerged of cocaine, amphetamines and ecstasy at the AFL's Brownlow Medal presentation.

In August last year, a sweep of eight popular Melbourne nightclubs found traces of cocaine in five.

And new research shows drug dealers are supplying a smorgasbord of lethal drugs to defiant users who care little for the effect of police activity on their ability to get what they want.

Studies conducted by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre found that this year ecstasy users were often able to buy speed, cannabis, ice and cocaine from the one dealer.

Seventy-nine per cent of users had tried cocaine, 97 per cent had used cannabis, 71 per cent ice and 33 per cent GHB.

Fifty-two per cent of Victorian users in the study believed police activity had increased. But only 6 per cent said that activity made drugs harder to buy.

Researcher Jen Johnston said most dealing was hard for police to detect "because most people score within their social group".

GHB was considered the easiest drug to get in Victoria, where 64 per cent reported it as "very easy" to source.

Of the Victorian users who reported overdosing on a drug, GHB was blamed in 57 per cent of cases.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org/amphetablog.html
Pubdate: Sun, 13th November 2005
Source: The Herald Sun (Australia)
Author: Carly Crawford and Kelvin Healey
Website: http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/
Copyright: 2005 The Herald Sun