ASIAN GANGS DEVELOP HIGHLY POTENT CANNABIS STRAIN

POLICE fear a new form of incredibly potent cannabis is destined to
hit Australia.

Vietnamese criminal gangs in Canada have developed a sophisticated
method of growing the plant indoors year round.

It greatly increases both the yield and potency of the cannabis and
cuts growing time.

Latest criminal intelligence suggests that Australia-based Vietnamese
drug dealers have travelled to Canada to learn how to cultivate the
highly addictive cannabis.

They are expected to use this knowledge to grow and sell it in Australia.

The new threat was revealed in the Australian Crime Commission's
annual Illicit Drug Data Report.

Justice Minister David Johnston said the amount of illegal drugs
seized had decreased from 13 tonnes in 2004-05 to six tonnes in
2005-06, but the number of drug arrests had increased.

"We have more people arrested for less weight," Mr Johnston said.

The report reveals that cannabis is the most commonly used illicit
drug in this country.

Cannabis arrests account for almost 70 per cent of drug arrests in Australia.

The number of detections of heroin in 2005-06, which reached 300, was
the highest annual number on record.

But the weight of heroin detected at the Australian border (45.6kg)
was the lowest since 1995-96.

Heroin arrests now account for fewer than 3 per cent of all drug arrests.

Australian Crime Commission chief executive Alastair Milroy said
seven criminal syndicates in eastern Australia had recently been smashed.

He said criminals often changed the way they obtained amphetamines.

"Criminals change their methodology once barriers are put in place
.. and there is a likelihood that criminals will try to source these
products in Australia by either targeting transport of
pseudoephedrine or warehouses," Mr Milroy said.

Authorities believed outlaw motorcycle gangs did not control all the
amphetamine manufacturing and distribution in Australia, he said.

"The recent intelligence suggests that there's lots of what ... I
think the Chinese call ant-style trafficking, where you have lots of
people bringing in smaller amounts and that's to avoid detection,"
Gino Vumbaca, of the Australian National Council on Drugs, said on ABC Radio.

Frightening Statistics

The report revealed:

* Two million Australians have used amphetamines and about 5.5million
have tried cannabis

* At least 100,000 ecstasy pills are used every weekend in Australia

* Australia has the world's highest rate of ecstasy consumption

* Twenty per cent of Australians aged 20 to29 take ecstasy

* Drug users told a national survey that heroin, amphetamines,
ecstasy, cannabis and cocaine were easy or very easy to get

* Almost 79,000 people were arrested for drug offences in 2005-06