Dunedin drug experts say there are some surprising culprits in the war against fake drugs.
They are urging students to get any drugs they plan to ingest tested after the Otago University Student's Association announced it would have a drug checking lab running throughout O-Week.
Recreational drug researcher Dr Geoff Noller said most people wouldn't think to get drugs like cannabis tested.
But he said dangerous synthetics are becoming increasingly common and can be very dangerous.
“More than 40 deaths have been attributed to synthetic cannabis in the last year, which is a very worrying statistic.”
Dr Noller said some of the most popular illegal substances with students are cannabis, MDMA and LSD.
“All three have a problem with fakes in the market - and police stats on MDMA seizures back that up. As much as 70 percent of MDMA seized by police was fake.”
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