What are you likely to find when drug testing cocaine samples in Queensland? Cocaine, of course, but you may not expect to find a harmful painkiller that was banned in Australia decades ago.
The shocking find occurred on the Gold Coast at CheQpoint, Queensland’s first government-funded fixed-site drug testing centre. The painkiller found in the cocaine, called phenacetin, was banned in Australia when links to renal disease and cancer were determined.
The find is shocking, particularly if you’re one of the approximately 4.2 per cent of Queenslanders who will take a hit of cocaine in 2024.
Phenacetin discovered during Queensland drug testing
According to an ABC News article, the phenacetin discovery involved two samples of cocaine. While the discovery was made at the Gold Coast drug testing facility, there’s no reason to think that it wouldn’t also be present in cocaine outside of Queensland.
Chief executive of CheQpoint, the Queensland drug testing facility, said phenacetin isn’t just a concern for the long term impacts, but also has short term concerns.
“People who have phenacetin overdose can have their blood oxygen depleted and it can happen quite quickly,” Cameron Francis said in the ABC News article. “Over time people can develop a bit of a blue tinge to their fingertips and their lips.
“Some of the other effects, like dizziness and fatigue or headaches with nausea, could easily be missed. We’ve been working really closely with our colleagues in Queensland Health around ensuring that we get clinical alerts out to emergency departments and medical professionals.”
How did the banned substance get into cocaine?
According to Mr Francis, because of the restrictions on phenacetin in Australia, he believes it was probably added to the cocaine somewhere overseas.
“These types of cutting agents are introduced to bulk up the product. It’s cheaper than cocaine and so people are just extending their profits by introducing it,” he said.
The discovery of the phenacetin in cocaine in the drug testing facility highlights the importance of these types of facilities in Queensland and the rest of Australia.
A not-so-sweet surprise
Finding a banned substance in cocaine is certainly shocking, although perhaps not surprising. Drug suppliers regularly introduce other substances to illegal drugs to bulk up their product and increase profit.
However, you probably wouldn’t expect to find methamphetamines in a lolly normal produced for general consumption!
That’s exactly what occurred in New Zealand recently, when methamphetamines was found in a popular pineapple flavoured lolly. The lollies were distributed unknowingly by Auckland City Mission as part of food parcels. The discovery was made when one of the recipients complained the lolly tasted sour and left them feeling unusual.
Drug testing of the lollies confirmed each lolly contained three grams of methamphetamines, an amount that has been described as extremely dangerous and could result in death.
No fault is being attributed to the mission and they are devastated by the find. Exactly how the meth-laden lollies came to find their way into distribution is not known, although the New Zealand Drug Foundation believe it is likely due to a drug trade gone wrong.
Deputy director Ben Birks-Ang said, “We know that disguising substances as something else to smuggle it is common internationally.”
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Finding a banned substance in cocaine is certainly shocking. Finding methamphetamines in a lolly distributed for general consumption is bizarre.
