00:00 Butte is an industrial chemical. It is used to produce plastics and can be extremely dangerous
00:07 and damaging to human if consumed. The chemical has been increasingly linked to sexual assaults
00:14 and drug overdoses in Australia. On the 1st of March there was changes to Commonwealth legislation
00:20 resulting in Butte now being defined as a border control drug. This puts it up on par with some of
00:26 the most serious drugs in the Australian community such as methamphetamine, heroin, MDMA and cocaine.
00:34 This change means that those convicted of illegally importing Butte will now face up to a maximum
00:41 life imprisonment. To give you an indication of the size and seriousness of this problem,
00:47 since the change in legislation on the 1st of March, more than 4,200 litres of Butte has been
00:53 seized in Sydney alone. We know these seizures aren't for legitimate purposes. What we are seeing
01:00 is the same methodology and concealment factors that are used to import other border control drugs
01:06 into Australia. On one occasion an ABF detection of 180 litres led to the identification of 1,400
01:15 litres already in the Australian community in a warehouse in Sydney. The AFP is investigating
01:21 these matters and will continue to do so. What we need to say today though, the consequences of
01:26 importing Butte into Australia are serious because the harm done to Australians is significant and
01:33 can be life-changing. When ingested, Butte is absorbed by the body and metabolises to GHB.
01:41 It is a depressant that slows down messaging travelling between the brain and body. It
01:47 slows down the functions of the nervous system and makes would-be victims really vulnerable.
01:52 If ingested, it can produce serious side effects including breathing problems, hallucinations,
01:59 loss of consciousness and even death. It is extremely unsafe. We are also becoming increasingly
02:06 concerned with reports that Butte is one of the central drivers to non-fatal and fatal GHB
02:13 overdoses in Australia and is used to facilitate sexual assaults through the spiking of food and
02:20 drink. Our message to the Australian community is clear. The consequences of importing Butte
02:26 into Australia are serious. The impacts and the damage to Australians is significant.
02:33 you
02:34 [BLANK_AUDIO]
Comments