$18 'HIGH'

Don't touch these herbal stimulants, drug experts warn rock festival
fans.

YOUNG people planning to attend tomorrow's Big Day Out music festival
have been warned to stay away from herbal versions of designer drugs.
Drug squad detectives will inspect the Ecstasy and amphetamine
alternatives - which are priced from $8 to $18 - at two stalls set up
at the event.

Similar versions of the herbal concoctions have been linked overseas
to 15 deaths and serious side-effects in hundreds of other people.

Marketers of the products claim they produce "euphoria", heightened
"color appreciation" and "positive exuberance".

They are made from various mixtures of herbs including damiana,
ephedra and catnip.

They will be sold through two stalls, Herbal Ecstasy and Herbal Highs,
both of which claim their products are safe alternatives to chemical
stimulants.

But the Drug and Alcohol Services Council has warned young people
attending the festival at the Wayville Sbowground to "steer well
clear" of the products.

Police also are concerned about the herbal compounds, saying they will
inspect both stalls and possibly seize the products.

The Big Day Out event, a national tour by international and local
artists, includes Hole, Sean Lennon and the controversial Marilyn
Manson. About 30,000 people are expected to turn up for the Adelaide
concert.

The herbal capsules, concentrates, powders and bags of mixed herbs are
marketed under such names as "Bliss Out", "Zonk" and "Magical Mystery
Tour".

One of the stalls will offer a product called Power Builder, which is
billed as a safe substitute for anabolic steroids.

But the Drug and Alcohol Services Council's director of clinical
policy and research, Dr Robert Ali, said the stimulant ephedrine,
which was in some of the products, was disturbing.

"I would recommend people steer well clear of them drugs. They are
untested and potentially dangerous, particularly those which do not
carry a list of ingredients," he said.

"And for any of the drugs available to those aged under 18 I would be
concerned about the effect they may have on modelling the children's
behaviour."

A spokesman for the Police Drug and Organised Crime Investigation
Branch said police had not been aware of the stalls until contacted by
The Advertiser, but would now investigate.

"We would warn people not to purchase these products and are concerned
that some may be available to younger children at the concert," the
spokesman said. "We will be looking closely at the stalls,
particularly products which claim to contain ephedrine."

But Herbal Highs proprietor, Mr Ray Thorpe, said his product provided
a "high" without side-effects.

"What we'd like to see is cigarettes and alcohol banned from the Big
Day Out - they're addictive and harmful," Mr Thorpe said.

"Our products do work, but the high is subtle."

"The herbal Ecstasy is good for dancing and people report it leaves
them feeling happy for days."

"The pharmaceutical companies are against us, but what we offer is an
alternative to drugs which are harmful to young people."

Pseudoephedrine is a key ingredient in amphetamines and is similar but
weaker that the naturally occurring ephedrine.

Big Day Out organiser, Ms Di Joy, said she had been assured by the
operators of the two stalls that their products were legal.

"If there's anything illegal being sold, they will not be permitted to
open," Ms Joy said.

"We will not be looking into the matter further, but if contacted by
the police we will certainly take action."