Synthetic drugs now prohibited

A legal loophole on drugs was closed last week with all psychoactive substances now banned in Western Australia under new laws.

One Bunbury counsellor has welcomed the legislative change, comparing psychoactive substances to the once-legal lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD.

The Misuse of Drugs Amendment (Psychoactive Substances) Act 2015 prohibits the sale, supply, manufacture, advertising and promotion of any psychoactive substance or any substance alleged to have a psychoactive effect.

Previous legislation gave way for new chemical derivatives of substances to be manufactured and introduced, resulting in chemical synthetics of drugs - including cannabis - being changed faster than legislation could keep up.

WA police now have the power to destroy any substance that has, or is said to have, a psychoactive effect under the new legislation.

Bunbury Counselling owner Bev Morton said she was seeing people who already had long-term issues from psychoactive substances.

She said any amendment on the misuse of drugs was helpful, but the damage could already be done.

"I've had a couple of people say to me 'I keep having flashbacks to the old LSD days, when it was legally bought' and that's a consequence of psychoactive drugs too," Ms Morton said.

She said "over-the-counter" cannabis had serious consequences on people's physical and mental well-being, including paranoia.

"They don't know the difference between real and imagined," she said.

"People have this false sense that if I can go to a shop and buy it I will be ok, but in fact people have no idea about the effect these psychoactive drugs can have."

All WA retailers will be notified of the changes, in a move to get the drugs off shop shelves.

South West police Supt. Peter Hatch said the new laws gave police the power to enter a shop without a warrant if they "reasonably suspect such activity or items can be located".

"We'll be taking positive action against people who sell or supply psychoactive substances," he said.

"All retailers that are selling psychoactive substances can expect a visit from us, because as of November 18 it is illegal."

Under the new laws, penalties of up to $48,000 and four years in jail can be enforced.