However, many legal highs have become illegal because of the dangers they pose to the public. This year, the UK Parliament will pass the Psychoactive Substances Act, which is due to come into force on 26 May. This prohibits all psychoactive substances except alcohol and caffeine. Here are some of the side effects that can occur when you opt for legal highs: Legal highs are synthetic or herbal mixtures and are designed to work similarly to drugs such as cocaine, cannabis, ecstasy, heroin, or LSD. Many teens take legal highs because they are cheap and readily available and there are no penalties for possession. What many of them don`t know, however, is that they can be just as powerful as their illegal counterparts — and just as addictive. In addition, in many cases, they can be dangerous and even deadly. The government has taken steps to ban harmful substances more quickly. A temporary ban on these drugs may be imposed, while a more permanent restriction awaits approval by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which determines which substances are prohibited under the Misuse of Drugs Act. But manufacturers sometimes try to circumvent these bans by changing the chemical composition of a substance or creating a new high. Legal highs are usually sold in the form of pills, capsules and powders. The powders can look like flour or small crystals.
Smoke mixtures are usually sold in colorful packaging and often marketed as incense to circumvent laws prohibiting their sale for human consumption. Officially called a new psychoactive substance (NPS), a legal high is a psychotropic or stimulant substance whose sale is not prohibited by current legislation. They are composed of various chemical ingredients and replicate a similar user experience with illicit drugs such as cannabis, ecstasy, and cocaine. These can lead to serious, even fatal, poisoning when taken in high enough doses. They can also affect your central nervous system, leading to seizures, rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, sweating, increased body temperature, restlessness, and preparation for battle (ready to fight). DXM products also often contain acetaminophen, an over-the-counter pain reliever that can damage the liver in high or repetitive doses. DXM and codeine are central nervous system sedatives, and an overdose can reduce breathing to dangerously low levels that can be fatal. There is no reliable way to tell, but the number of recorded deaths due to legal highs is rising sharply.
There were 12 in 2009 and 97 in 2012, according to a study by the Center for Social Justice. Legal highs and synthetic drugs have become increasingly common, especially in clubs and among young adults. Different new styles of drugs attempt to mimic the effects of illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin and cannabis. Legal highs can be consumed in a variety of ways, including smoking, snorting, swallowing, and even injecting. But while these drugs may be technically legal, that doesn`t mean they`re safe to use. In fact, the reality is quite the opposite; Many of these drugs are very powerful, with effects that are sometimes stronger than the drugs they are trying to mimic. One example is synthetic cannabinoids, chemicals that act as the active part of cannabis, which can be several times stronger than herbal cannabis and are much more likely to cause problems such as psychosis. The main effects of almost all psychoactive drugs, including the so-called legal highs, can be described using the following four main categories. Although drugs in each of these categories have similar effects in their products, they will have very different strengths and effects on different people.
A number of substances or ingredients are illegal when sold for human consumption. However, manufacturers and distributors of these substances can circumvent this situation by labelling them as “unfit for human consumption”. You can advertise them as incense, bath salts or plant foods and sell them legally. Manufacturers will say that what people do with it afterwards is not their responsibility. These medications are often mixed with soda and candy for a sweet and almost instant burst of euphoria. Purple bu and sizzurp – a mix of fun breeders, goblins and cough hunters – can be highly addictive. In 2014, one in ten teens admitted to drinking coughs or cold remedies to get high. [17] In addition to the addictive nature of euphoria, this drink tastes good, allowing offenders to drink it throughout the day without knowing how much they have taken, increasing the likelihood of a life-threatening overdose.
Legal highs are causing problems for young people across the country, and the problem is that no one knows exactly what they are taking. Because manufacturers are constantly changing formulas, users may find that they agree with a certain substance once, but may react badly to the “same” substance the next time. Legal highs are not regulated, and those who take them have no way of knowing what the substance contains or how potent it is. They also have no idea if they will experience any unpleasant side effects. Here are some of the risks broken down by type of new psychoactive substance. Many of these risks are increased when the drug is combined with alcohol or another psychoactive drug. There have also been deaths. However, if one trend seems to be decreasing, another may take its place.
Hand sanitizer is a seemingly harmless product that most retailers won`t sell to teens twice. The liquid form can contain 62-65% ethyl alcohol, which is similar to a 120% alcoholic beverage. [21] Teens can drink it to get drunk on a product they can legally buy and own. As the list of controlled substances grows and regulations tighten, more and more people, especially teenagers and young adults, are turning to legal substances for a psychotropic effect. Social media and the internet are full of opportunities to get high legally. Common household products can be inhaled, some spices can be sniffed, incense can be smoked, and over-the-counter medications and other products can be consumed, all with the goal of creating an altered state of consciousness. The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 classifies illicit drugs according to their chemical composition. The chemical composition of a legal high is slightly modified to circumvent this legislation and thus make it legal. In fact, they cannot be sold for human consumption and are therefore often marketed as bath salts, incense or plant foods to circumvent the law. To change this misconception, this guide describes the dangers of legal highs. This guide will be published the day before new laws to combat high legal consumption come into force. The advantage of NPS appears to be that these drugs are designed to have similar effects to traditional recreational drugs, but are affordable, widely available and, importantly for many, legal.6 Users of existing drugs may be encouraged by the fact that most NPS are undetectable in urine screenings.7 The majority of NPS are synthetic cannabinoids, with a significant proportion of stimulants.2 However, the reality is that NPS is difficult to categorize because NPS products can be chemically similar but have very different psychotropic effects.5 In addition, the compounds are often mixed.
Synthetic cannabinoids are typically sold in products combined with benzodiazepines, hallucinogens or stimulants.5 They are known to be much more potent than cannabis, raising concerns about their long-term health effects. Also, addiction can occur after relatively short-term use.5 This means you don`t know what`s in legal highs. Studies have shown that legal highs often contain illicit substances that cause a number of health problems when consumed in sufficient amounts. Volatile solvents start in liquid form and become a gas at room temperature, while gases are already in gaseous form. Aerosols contain solvents and propellants, and nitrates are mainly used for sexual enhancement. Children can get psychoactive results from office supplies, cleaning products, kitchen products, industrial materials and medical products and find them easily accessible at home, in the garage and under the sink. These products are legal for them to buy and possess, and they may not realize the danger they may possess when used to get high. Call 999 if you are in the UK. If you suffer from long-term dependence on legal highs, we recommend contacting our admissions team today on 01923 369 161 or contacting your local GP. Legal manufacturers circumvent the law by mixing substances that are not covered by the Misuse of Substances Act. Although some substances that were previously available as legal highs are now banned, manufacturers continue to replace them with new substances. It is difficult for the government to control the sale and manufacture of legal highs because formulas are constantly changing.
It is also difficult for doctors to treat people who react to these substances because they have no idea what the ingredients are. Data from the ONS show that deaths related to legal highs have more than tripled since 2009-2010. In 2007, only seven people died in England and Wales due to legal highs. However, in 2013-2014, that number was 76 deaths. Data from the ONS show that the average age of deaths related to legal highs is 28. This is about ten years younger than the average for illicit drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Since 2004, nine teenagers have died while taking legal highs.