Deadly Ice Hits Australia

A new deadly party drug called Red Mitsubishi is now being used at parties in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

This illicit drug causes high blood pressure, high body temperature and racing pulse rates that cook the victims from the inside.

Red Mitsubishi has killed 11 users and caused dozens of overdoses.

The lethal overheating of the body gets worse when drugs commonly used by paramedics for overdoses are used to try and revive victims.

Victorian Police believe that the rapid body overheating is made worse because of the delayed effect and the possibility that users may take another tablet.

South Australian police seized 5000 Red Mitsubishi tablets recently.

Red Mitsubishi tablets are from the same family as ecstasy but with potent levels of MDMA.

(Source: Melbourne Herald Sun, 14 February 2005)

DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL COMMENTS-

Australians are known to be high users of party drugs so a new drug on the market is likely have a big usage.

The ingredient MDMA in Red Mitsubishi and ecstasy is known to cause brain damage, depression, violent mood swings, hallucinations and paranoid delusions.

The key drug policy objective in Australia must be to reduce the pool of users of illicit drugs particularly party drugs.

Our Council supports the International Narcotics Control Board that advocates illicit drug users should not be jailed but given detoxification then rehabilitation to get them drug free.