A Basic Course in Drug Chemistry

In Australia, our "footy" (that's Australian Rules Football to the rest of you) stars are the bad boys of the body politic - always being caught in compromising positions. Pace Ben Cousins, the star player of the West Coast Eagles, who has been in and out and back into rehab over this year for various, if unspecified, drug-related issues. On Monday he was pulled over in his vehicle, searched, and arrested after the cops turned up some prescription drugs - all of which are arguably perfectly legal in Australia. But some analysis showed up a few naughty things:

WA Assistant Commissioner for Special Crimes, Wayne Gregson, said police had dropped the one drug possession charge against Cousins on advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Mr Gregson said a diazepam, or Valium, pill was found on Cousins, but the DPP said that it was only a prohibited drug in a liquid, injectable form.

However he said several other drugs were also found in the car, in which there were also two passengers.

"The following drugs were seized from the vehicle: oxycontin, which is a prohibited drug, diazepam, Viagra ... and a $20 note which preliminary indications and analysis show traces of MDMA, which is ecstasy and cocaine," Mr Gregson said.

I'm not sure how they manufacture MDMA in Western Australia, but (if, say, we asked Sasha Shulgin) I'm pretty clear that ecstasy + cocaine would not be the formula.

No one caught this gaffe, not at the prosecutors office, and not in the media. Sure, we're not all pharmacists (except, maybe, the readers of this site), but even a little Wikipedia action would help you get this one right...