'CRAZY' NEW ECSTASY DRUG COULD KILL, EXPERTS WARN

A NEW designer drug, sold on Sydney streets as ecstacy, is 20 times more
powerful and potentially lethal, drugs experts warned yesterday.Small white
"ya ba" pills 96 blamed for a spate of violent attacks by youths in
Thailand, where they have replaced heroin as the drug of choice 96 are
cheaper to produce than ecstacy.

Paul Dillon of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre said yesterday
the amount of "speed", or amphetamines, in the pills was potentially
lethal, particularly for people with heart problems.

"It has a very, very high content of metamphetamine," he said. "Normal
'speed' has about 5 per cent metamphetamine, whereas this drug is almost 95
per cent pure.

"We think these tablets are being sold here as ecstasy and that explains
what is happening in the clubs here, where people are staying awake for
days at a time."

Mr Dillon warned against taking ya ba, and particularly mixing it with
other drugs.

"The difference between ecstacy and ya ba is that the new pills are smaller
than normal ecstasy and they don't have the same branding or picture on the
pill," he said. "Ecstacy is obviously a dangerous drug, but these are
particularly potent and therefore much more dangerous.

"They enable the user to stay awake for so long that the body becomes very
stressed and we understand that they are also responsible for increased
aggression."

Ya ba pills 96 a mixture of amphetamines, metamphetamine and ephedrine 96
raise blood pressure to dangerous levels and have also made users depressed
to the point of suicide.

With inner Sydney celebrating the lead-up to next Saturday's Gay and
Lesbian Mardi Gras parade, Mr Dillon said party-goers should be extremely
careful.

"It is very important that someone who has taken this much metamphetamine
is aware of what they are dealing with 96 and that they don't mix it with
anything else."

Mr Dillon said the direct source of ya ba was not clear: "There has either
been an increase in smuggling from Asia 96 or the knowledge and experience
has come here and dealers are using that to make ya ba (which means crazy
medicine in Thai)."