Vic eager to join synthetic drug crackdown VICTORIA is eager to get involved in stopping the sale of synthetic drugs, after NSW banned some of them in response to the death of a Sydney teenager. Crime Prevention Minister Edward O'Donohue says the state is interested in speaking to the federal government about expanding NSW's interim ban across the country. "This is a very difficult issue and things can change very quickly," he told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday. Last week 17-year-old Henry Kwan jumped to his death from the balcony of his family's third-floor apartment in Sydney's north after taking a synthetic hallucinogen that mimics LSD. The NSW government warned on Sunday that retailers who breach a 90-day ban on selling 18 synthetic drugs will face fines of up to $1.1 million. Victoria Police Inspector Adrian White says the force is "most definitely" interested in examining the NSW ban. "We've already seen one death and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw more," he said. It's a real problem for the community, the government and police. But John Rogerson of the Australian Drug Foundation says authorities can't ban their way out of the problem. He says more pressure needs to be put on retailers to ensure the products they sell are safe. "As soon as you ban one substance, another substance is created," he said. So let's treat the synthetic drug issue like we would treat any food or any medicine and get the onus of proof back on the producers to ensure these products are safe. He says anyone considering trying synthetic drugs needs to understand they have not been tested and no one knows what's actually in them.