Synthetic drug ban to be widened in Vic VICTORIAN lawmakers are targeting readily available synthetic drugs to stop users from hitting a "legal high." Copycat synthetic drugs are designed to replicate the effects of ecstasy, cannabis or LSD and can be purchased online or from retail outlets including sex shops and tobacconists. Victorian Police Minister Kim Wells says the government is alarmed by the growing popularity of drug analogues, which will be outlawed in tough new anti-drug legislation tabled in parliament this week. Mr Wells said the synthetic chemicals were structurally similar to currently banned drugs and posed a significant health risk to users. "These laws will also quash the ridiculous notion that people can achieve 'legal highs' by using these untested substances," Mr Wells said. The new rules follow similar bans on a range of synthetic cannabinoids in 2011 and broader restrictions in 2012.