Source: Sydney Morning Herald
Pubdate: Fri, 8 May 1998
Website: http://www.smh.com.au 
Contact:  
Author: Linda Doherty

TEEN TRIPPERS TRYING DANGEROUS "NATURAL" DRUG

A powerful new hallucinogenic drug has hit NSW's coastal strip, with 
teenagers smoking parts of a "very common native tree" in ritual 
ceremonies, a drug expert warned yesterday.

Known as DMT, the drug is also being manufactured synthetically as a 
white crystal called dimethyltryptamine and is "so underground" that 
its price and availability are unknown.

Mr Paul Dillon, spokesman for the National Drug and Alcohol Research 
Centre, said drug educators were extremely concerned that information 
on dangerous drugs such as DMT was freely available on unregulated 
Internet sites.

Before the explosion of Internet information, designer drugs had taken 
about two years to reach Australia, but were now being seen "in a 
matter of months".

"One of the Net sites says as soon as you take it [DMT], you need some 
cushions behind you because you fall over," Mr Dillon said.

In recent months, teachers and police had reported frightened 
teenagers on DMT "running through fields" and several drug 
laboratories had been discovered.

DMT has been confined largely to the State's coastal strip, where the 
tree is found. Drug educators refuse to release the tree's name, 
fearing it would encourage experimentation by teenagers.

"It's an incredibly powerful drug," Mr Dillon said. "They tend to use 
it in ceremonial situations, much like young people play with Ouija 
boards."

The Minister for Health, Dr Refshauge, said: "This is a dangerous drug 
that takes effect very quickly, dramatically increasing heart rate and 
blood pressure. The effect is both strong and unpleasant, prompting 
fear and paranoia."

Mr Dillon said naturally occurring hallucinogenic drugs were becoming 
more popular in Australia among risk-taking teenagers, because of a 
false perception that "natural highs" from drugs such as DMT, datura 
and mescaline were less harmful than synthetic drugs.

DMT causes intense visual hallucinations and powerful "trips" lasting 
10 minutes followed by milder effects for another 30 minutes, 
according to the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.
One Internet site says the drug "tastes like burning plastic" and 
after 30 seconds to one minute, "users believe their heart or 
breathing has stopped".

After one to five minutes, users report "DMT hyperspace" and "alien 
music".

Few studies had been conducted on DMT, but it has been known on the 
British dance club scene for two years.

NSW Health says that signs of drug-taking in adolescents include 
unusual behavior change over a long period, mood swings, secrecy, 
trouble at school or with police, a sudden change of friends, an 
unexplained need for money and increasing isolation.
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