AUSTRALIA has become one of the biggest markets in the Asian region for amphetamines and ecstasy, and large quantities of illegal drug ingredients are coming in by air cargo, a United Nations report has found.

The 2009 UN World Drug Report says pseudoephedrine and ephedrine -- both used in the manufacture of methamphetamine, or ice -- are being allowed to flow in through Australia's porous borders.

And while Australia has had some success in cutting heroin use by disrupting supply chains, the report says there are signs that the manufacture of synthetic drugs has gained traction both here and in South-East Asia.

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Jessica and Fiona have nothing in common except their heroin addiction. Yesterday their paths may have crossed as they trudged a city block looking to score. They both "got on", each paying $50 for a "cap" of heroin and but said later that their deals were "crap"; too small and too weak.

Both women were ripped off by street dealers they didn't know, and, worse, they could have been selling them a drug that was stronger than the heroin they have become accustomed to during the longest heroin drought in memory.

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A new, more realistic anti-drugs television and radio campaign by the Bracks Government aimed at 15-to-18-year-olds and dealing with marijuana, ecstasy and heroin use will begin in July.

The campaign will contrast sharply with the shock tactics of the Howard Government in its "body bag" campaign. State Government research has shown that teenagers do not identify with the Prime Minister's $20 million drug message.

State Health Minister John Thwaites told The Agethat the new campaign would use young people who had recovered from their addictions talking about the negative impact drugs have had on their lives.

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