DIY GUIDE PROMPTS BANNING OF 36 DESIGNER DRUGS

The Home Office last night announced it was banning a swathe of New Age
"designer drugs" similar to ecstasy, with heavy penalties available to the
courts for their manufacture, dealing or possession.

The Government's concern about the drugs stems from the easy availability
through the Internet of a "do-it-yourself" guide to the 36 synthetic
substances which are being banned. Many are mescaline-related chemicals.

The book, Pihkal: A Chemical Love Story, by Alexander and Ann Shulgin, was
published in California in 1991 and provides a detailed chemical and
technical guide to the production of 179 phenethylamines, including the
group to be banned in Britain.

Mr Shulgin, a former Dow Chemical scientist, has been described as the
Calvin Klein of designer drugs and the stepfather of ecstasy. He does,
however, give a cautionary note that no one should try to synthesise the
drugs without legal authority as doing so could lead to "tragic ruination
of a life".

However, readers have posted rave reviews of the book on the Internet
booksite, praising it for scientific objectivity and readability, with
something for everyone from chemists to the curious. One Dutch fan calls it
"a very good book especially if you like to try any psychedlic substance".

The Home Office Minister, George Howarth, said there was evidence that
these "designer drugs" were being produced in Europe. Fifty thousand
tablets of two of the drugs to be banned had been seized.

He said: "We all know the dangers of ecstasy and the Government has a
responsibility to do all it can to prevent more of these types of
substances from being launched on the illicit market. Strict controls are
essential to prevent the misuse of these ecstasy-type substances.

"Although there is little evidence of their misuse in the UK, these
measures will slam the stable door firmly shut before the horse has bolted."

35 of the 36 drugs are to be treated as Class-A substances, meaning that
possession could attract a prison sentence of up to seven years and dealing
in them a life sentence.

The Shulgin book, which is subtitled Phenethylamines I Have Known and
Loved, gives detailed descriptions of the effects of each of the drugs. For
example, TMA, one of those to be banned, is described as an active and more
potent drug than mescaline itself.

A 140 mg dose of TMA lasts about six to eight hours and Mr Shulgin says it
produced no nausea but "somehow my personality was divided and exposed". It
produced a good humour and an over-appreciation of jokes: "The images
behind the eyes were remarkable and tied in with the music and I became
annoyed at other people's conversations that got in the way."

The Home Office is expected to confirm the proposed ban after a
consultation period ending on September 18. As yet there are no official
plans to outlaw the second group of chemical substances described in the
Shulgins' second popular volume - Tihkal: The Continuation, which is an
acronym for Tryptamines I Have Known and Loved.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski