(Understand…‘Permission culture’ continues to be key demand driver!)
17 November 2017
Synthetic cannabis drugs such as Spice and Black Mamba are on the rise in Wales, health officials have warned.
Samples tested showed there were fewer types of new illegal psychoactive drugs being sold in Wales – but those being dealt are ‘ultra potent’ varieties.
Public Health Wales said it has led to more hospital admissions – and more deaths.
However, the most common drug found in tests by the Wedinos project in Wales was still cocaine.
The project allows drug samples to be submitted anonymously for analysis, and helps paint a picture of what types of drug are in circulation in Wales.
In its annual report published on Friday, Wedinos revealed that over 1,345 drug samples were passed to it for testing in 2016-17 – revealing about 125 different substances.
The number of drug types is down 23% on 2015-16, when 163 different drugs were indentified.
- Spice users in ‘zombie-like’ state in Cardiff
- Mamba carnage on Welsh streets
- Ban ‘drives new drugs underground’
While cocaine and the sedative diazepam topped the table for the most commonly used drugs tested by health laboratories, synthetic cannabis products came in at number three.
The tests also revealed two specific types of new psychoactive substances (NPS) were being dealt – which have the official labels 5F-ADB and AMB-FUBINACA.
These powders, most often made in laboratories in China, are mixed with herbs and sold on the street as Spice and Black Mamba. For more http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-42022889
For Annual Report http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/documents/888/Philtre%20Report%201617.pdf