Synthetic drug ban

News of a Government crackdown on synthetic drugs is welcome
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/national-ban-imposed-on-synthetic-drugs/story-e6frg6nf-1226664529398
How sad for the family of the young man who took these drugs and subsequently became acutely psychotic and died. What a waste of a precious young life. My condolences to the family.
However I am perplexed that the government is shamed to act on this problem that on the case of one person they should act so quickly when they have the statistics of huge numbers of people who die from acute psychosis from alcohol abuse, and yet do not act.
Now clearly these are legalised, taxed drugs and one can become cynical and say this is due to economics and vote gathering. The alcohol and tobacco lobby is huge and the taxes important to our economy. But decisions need to be made based on care rather than money or votes.The experience of prohibition showed us that outlawing something does not work. It just forces the problem underground, to the criminal element who increase their operations. People can easily make their own. The case of four people who died of acute alcohol poisoning in Queensland this week, is a case in point.So many people die of tobacco use and yet no ban.here.
Education seems to have universally failed and in fact education in schools seems to have increased the rate of alcohol abuse, suicide and unsafe sex behaviours in young people.
I don't have an answer but all citizens in a democratic process needs to have input into these issues, not just a knee-jerk reaction by political parties.