PDEA flags threat of psychoactive drugs

“NEW PSYCHOACTIVE substances that are not yet covered by the current drug law” are now in circulation in the country, the spokesperson of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said.
“There is a trend now called new psychoactive substances,” PDEA spokesperson Derrick C. Carreon said in an interview with The Chiefs on One News. “Ito pong party drugs natin (these party drugs) are sourced from outside the country. For instance, ito pong (this) ecstasy is from either Amsterdam or, during itong (this) last trip, was from France.
Mr. Carreon also cited GBL, or gamma-butyrolactone. “If you reckon back to the time na may nagpakita ng video sa media (someone showed a video to the media). The victim was exhibiting … involuntary movement and incoheren(ce). Nakakatakot (It’s frightening). Ginagamit ang GBL (GBL is used) in tandem with lydocaine,” he said.
He added: “We’re currently moving toward its inclusion (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) because (GBL’s) other variant, gamma hydroxybutyrate, which is called liquid ecstasy, is already included.”
“These are industrial cleaners for semiconductors,” Mr. Carreon pointed out.
Despite these developments, Mr. Carreon said the government is “on the right track” in its crackdown on illegal drugs, citing the provinces of Batanes, Romblon, and Southern Leyte.
“We’ve had three, so far, drug-cleared provinces. Na-control na natin ‘yung problema so subjected to barangay drug clearing. Wala nang nagtutulak, walang bumibili, walang nagta-tranship (We have controlled the problem so it is subjected to drug clearing at the village level. There’s no pusher, no buyer, no transhipping)….In fact, the city of Tacloban has also been declared drug-cleared. These are good indicators stating that kahit paano (somehow) we were going somewhere,” he said. -— Vann Mario Villegas