The war on drugs may take a new turn, as reports suggest that the popularity of synthetic drugs may be on the rise. Annual surveys focusing on drug use and general drug information suggest that most users prefer taking chemically enhanced drug products like ecstasy, LSD and ketamine.

The two main factors in the problem is availability of the products, mostly through the Internet, and indeterminate ingredients that get mixed into this new wave of man-made hallucinogens. The latest study, which was conducted in state and territory capitals, has shown that there is a rise in emerging psychoactive substances -- from a paltry 4 percent in 2012, users have now swelled to up to 44 percent.

Reports of fatalities due to these new psycho stimulants have also shot up. This is very dangerous, as users are more likely to make bad judgment calls in this type of inebriated state than they would on, say, alcohol or normal cannabis.

A significant portion of the survey also takes into account the fact that while ecstasy may be the drug of choice, people are more likely to use marijuana and tobacco to feed their substance addictions. That being said, cannabis laced with crushed pills have also proven to be popular among the younger set. On the other hand, tobacco use has gone down in recent years.

As with many products off the Net, one cannot be sure as to the quality of the product. Dr Lucy Burns of the University of New South Wales, also a researcher with the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, said in a Melbourne drug convention that this is the leading cause in deaths connected to the popularity of synthetic drugs.

Take downs of Web sites that cater to users are also a superficial solution because when one substance is brought down, a new one just takes its place. This is the new reality of the war against drugs -- they are easier to produce, easier to consume and, quite possibly, more fatal.