Western Australians looking to buy synthetic cannabis will have to look elsewhere in the country for their needs as WA will ban the synthetic drug starting this Friday. Anyone buying or selling the fake weed in Western Australia will face 25 years of jail time.

The move will make WA the first state or territory to ban the popular over the counter synthetic drug. It will be illegal this Friday to buy, possess, sell or intend to sell the synthetic drug in WA. The drug which mimics the effects of THC is sold under such names as Kronic, Voodoo, Kaos and Mango Kush.

Health Minister Kim Hames said that it is the government's job to make sure that the product isn't being misused and abused. Dr. Hames will be pushing for a national ban next month at a meeting for health ministers. The product still remains legal in other states although Tasmania will ban Kronic and other products like it by the end of the month.

The ban covers only the seven known synthetic cannabis brands so it is likely that they will be replaced by other products according to a report from the Sydney Morning Herald. Mental Health Minister Helen Morton said that it is "likely that people will engineer a new compound to replace the ones we've listed."

The Australian Medical Association has been warning the public about the dangerous side-effects of the fake weed which can cause severe paranoia, anxiety and panic attacks, high heart rates, agitation, and restlessness in users. AMA (WA) President Associate Professor David Mountain approved of the ban but added that a national approach would be better.

"The states, territories and federal government need to sit down and decide how they're going deal with these things," Mountain said.

16 other countries have already banned Kronic.