CONCERN ON PARTY-DRUG RISE

BRAIN damage may join overdose death as a consequence of illicit drug use
amid an increase in the use of designer party drugs like ecstasy and fantasy.

A report presented at a national scientific congress of anaesthetists in
Adelaide today showed heroin use had declined in the past two years.

However, more young people were turning to drugs like ecstasy and fantasy,
as well as cocaine.

Sydney appeared to be Australia's cocaine capital, while ecstasy seemed to
be the main drug of choice in Adelaide.

Professor Jason White of the University of Adelaide's Department of
Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology said the newer drugs could have
psychotic and neurotoxic side-effects.

"We need to be aware that people are now turning to a wider range of
illicit drugs and there is concern that damage to the brain, particularly
from ecstasy, may not be reversible," he said.

"You're probably more likely to die of heroin use, but there are other
problems associated with the amphetamines.

"The potential brain damage is the biggest (concern) because we don't know
exactly how serious it is or how significant it will be over the long term."

Prof White said the decreasing use of heroin was directly related to supply.

He said political and economic factors in Afghanistan and the Golden
Triangle, where the production of methamphetamine was rivalling opiates,
had led to a heroin drought.

Meanwhile, use of designer party drugs had increased with the mainstreaming
of dance culture.

"Trends towards increasing use of party drugs existed before the heroin
drought," he said.

"It isn't just people switching from heroin to party drugs, it's increasing
use of party drugs at the same time that heroin use is declining."

The report was based on surveys of drug users, health services and hospital
accident and emergency departments, as well as records of overdose deaths,
which had fallen over the last two years.

One in five Australians had taken illicit drugs, including cannabis, in the
past year, Prof White said.