From marijuana to LSD, cocaine to ecstasy and speed, young people are hopelessly drawn to the thrill that comes with taking illicit substances.

And while all these “party” drugs create different feelings for their takers, they share some themes: they’re all considered safe options by users, and they’re all potentially deadly.

Now there are new drugs on the street – legal synthetic drugs that are creating their own wave of concern among parents and police.

It took the tragic death of Sydney teenager Anna Wood in 1995 to shine a light on the emerging ecstasy culture of the ’90s and now the death of another Sydney teen is having the same effect.

Police say Henry Kwan jumped to his death on Wednesday after taking a $2 tab of a drug similar to LSD.

And there was almost another tragedy in the Central West over the weekend when a man was taken to Cobar Hospital when he suffered a cardiac arrest after taking a cocktail of alcohol and the synthetic drug Kronic.

The incidents have prompted a flood of similar reports from around the state and it’s only now that the gravity of the problem is becoming clearer.

Governments have promised to act, but police know that stopping the supply of these drugs will be an enormous challenge.

Gone are the days of seedy deals in darkened alleys; today’s teens can buy these drugs online from the comfort of their bedroom. But giving up on this fight before it starts is not an option.

Henry Kwan’s smiling face will become a symbol of the dangers of synthetic drugs just as Anna Wood’s smiling face did two decades ago.

The community owes it to both these wasted young lives to do what we can to avoid them being repeated.