In Reply to: Oh! come on Cliff. posted by btw on Sunday, 1. May 2005 at 09:42 Bali Time:
It just happens that way. When herion is scarce, the dealers cut it more. When it is plentiful, they don't cut it.
The CSIRO tests street purity and report on it every now and again. It's rarely front page news, but you'll see articles somewhere in most papers about how strong the street herion is at the moment.
The problem is that they can only test it after it hits the street, so they can't warn people that there's been a sudden jump in purity until the bodies stack up.
Many things can cause scarcity. A big swoop on importers is one of them. And that's a seasonal thing. They are not as active as they are right now all year round. After they've made enough arrests to keep everyone happy, they'll concentrate on something else for a while, and a big shipment will come in.
It happens at least once a year. And while it's not a conspiracy, per se, the police and the government must be aware that it's happening. But I doubt they care. Junkies aren't a strong lobby group.