Researchers at the University of South Australia have issued a health alert after pentylone, a potentially dangerous synthetic stimulant, was identified at every single wastewater testing site in Australia. With the serious health effects pentylone can cause, such a discovery is not good news.
The synthetic cathinone, commonly known as bath salts, is known to be sold as MDMA and has previously been linked to serious overdoses across the country.
It was first detected in Australia in 2018, following a series of overdoses in New Zealand. In February 2023, a number of people were hospitalised and health alerts were issued around the country after an MDMA pill called the ‘Nike Tick’ was found to contain high levels of the drug.
The alerts warned that higher doses of pentylone can lead to long periods of sleeplessness and muscle twitching, increased risk of agitation, paranoia, hallucinations, overheating and even heart problems.
The effects also kick in and wear off more quickly than drugs such as MDMA, leading many people to take more and overdose.
The shocking find came as part of the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program, with researchers also finding 20 different synthetic drugs never before seen in Australia.
University of South Australia researcher Dr Emma Jaunay said wastewater testing helped agencies know what was circulating and prevent overdoses and deaths.
“These types of drugs are unregulated and untested, and by nature their chemical composition is constantly changing to stay ahead of the law,” she said.
“Specifically, we detected an increase of pentylone across Australia, with frequencies rising from 25 per cent in April in 2022 to 100 percent across all states and territories by December that same year.”
As the uncertainty of drugs continues to cause harm, never has there been a better time to legalise pill testing. So grab a pen and write a letter to your local MP today.
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