Many school-leavers from some states and territories are already celebrating in full swing, as thousands flock to the Gold Coast and other areas across the country to mark the end of their secondary school studies and the beginning of their journey into adulthood. But for South Australian schoolies yet to head to the popular coastal spot of Victor Harbour, authorities are issuing urgent warnings about potentially deadly batches of drugs circulating in the market.
This year’s festival, set to begin this Friday for SA school-leavers, will attract thousands of Year 12 students. To help keep them safe, experts warn that pills sold as ecstasy or MDMA are, increasingly, being laced with other unknown substances. Their messaging is clear: it’s impossible to know the potency or what you are really ingesting.
The potency of one particular synthetic opioid, Nitazene, is causing the most concern. Authorities want young people to know it is stronger than heroin and can cause shallow breathing, loss of consciousness and death.
While schoolies on the Gold Coast can access pill testing easily, the measure remains illegal in SA.
The Australian Medical Association says pill testing is the best way to educate people about the risks of what they’re about to take.
Two Melbourne teens on life support in Thailand
Warnings around drink spiking are also being shared – especially aimed at those heading overseas for gap year adventures, or for university students already enjoying the long summer break before courses commence again in 2025.
Two young women from Melbourne, both aged 19, are in separate hospitals and reportedly fighting for life after suffering suspected methanol poisoning after a drink-spiking incident while staying in Vang Vieng, about 130 kilometres north of Laos’ capital, Vientiane. The teenagers graduated in 2023 from well-known bayside schools, Mentone Girls Grammar and Beaumaris Secondary College, and were travelling with other friends.
Methanol is a clear liquid chemical used in many everyday products, including paints, plastics, fuels and cosmetics.
It’s often deliberately and illegally added to alcoholic beverages as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, with Australian forensic pathologist Professor David Ranson saying it was a common feature in illegal spirits bought by travellers, particularly in the Asia-Pacific.
“Essentially, it creates formaldehyde, which is essentially the same chemical that’s used to embalm bodies.”
