- 2CB
- 2Ci
- 4MMC
- 5-IAI
- Acid
- Aerosols
- Alcohol
- Alkyl Nitrite
- Amphetamines
- Amyl Nitrite
- Anabolic Steroids
- Anavar
- BZP
- Base
- Benzo-Fury
- Benzos
- Bromo
- Bubbles
- Butyl Nitrite
- CB
- Cannabis
- Cathinones
- Charlie
- Chat
- Cheech
- Chicken Fever
- Chicken Yellow
- Chico
- Cocaine
- Coke
- Crack
- Crank
- Crystal Meth
- Deca-Durabolin
- Dianabol
- Diazepam
- Dimethocaine
- Double Stacked
- E
- Eckies
- Ecstasy
- Energy-1
- Fairy Dust
- Fast Lane
- Freebase
- G
- GBH
- GHB
- Gabba
- Gamma hydroxybutyrate
- Gamma-butyrolactone
- Ganjha
- Gas
- Gear
- Glass
- Glue
- Grass
- H
- Happy Pills
- Hash
- Heroin
- Horsey
- Ice
- Ivory Wave
- Jabs
- Jellies
- Junk
- K
- Ket
- Ketamine
- Khat
- Killer
- Kit
- LSD
- Legal Highs
- Librium
- Linctus
- Liquid Ecstasy
- Liquid Gold
- M-cat
- MDAT
- MDMA
- Magic
- Magic Mushrooms
- Meph
- Mephedrone
- Meth
- Methadone
- Methamphetamine
- Methedrone
- Methylone
- Mogadon
- Mushies
- NRG-1
- Naphyrone
- Nexus
- Nicotine
- Nitrazepam
- PMA
- Party Pills
- Pep
- Piperazines
- Plant Food
- Poppers
- Qaadka
- Qat
- Quat
- Rave
- Reefer
- Resin
- Rock
- Roids
- Shabu
- Shrooms
- Silver Bullet
- Skag
- Skunk
- Smack
- Smiley's
- Smoke
- Snifter
- Snow
- Solvents
- Special K
- Speed
- Spice
- Stanozolol
- Sulph
- Sustanon 250
- Sweeties
- Synthetic Cannabinoids
- TNT
- Tabs
- Temazepam
- Tina
- Tranquillisers
- Tranx
- Trips
- Valium
- Vitamin K
- Weed
- White Stuff
- Whizz
- X
- Yaba
- Zip
Legal Highs
Also known as: There are a large number of ’legal highs' and they can have all kinds of names, including brand names and chemical names, for example: Dimethocaine, Benzo-Fury, 5-IAI, MDAT, Silver Bullet, and Ivory Wave.
What it looks like and how it's taken
‘Legal Highs’ are substances made from assorted herbs, herbal extracts and ‘research chemicals’. They produce the same, or similar effects, to drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy, but are not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act. They are however, considered illegal under current medicines legislation to sell, supply or advertise for “human consumption”. To get round this sellers refer to them as research chemicals, plant food, bath crystals or pond cleaner.
In many cases, ‘legal highs’ have been designed to mimic class A drugs, but are structurally different enough to avoid being classified as illegal substances under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
An example of this is mephedrone. The substance was created in a lab to mimic the effects of cocaine or ecstasy, but it had a slightly different chemical structure to both of these drugs so that it would not fall under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Subsequently the government passed legislation so that mephedrone became a controlled substance meaning it’s now illegal to possess, give away or sell.
Immediate effects
Because legal highs include lots of different substances and what’s in them can change, often the immediate effects can vary. There is the possibility of accidental overdosing as the strength of some substances is unknown.
Legal status
Under current guidance, teachers can confiscate, and dispose of, any ‘legal highs’ that they find on school property.
As many ‘legal highs’ can look very similar to illegal drugs, such as cocaine and speed, if the police find a ‘legal high’ in your possession they are entitled to confiscate it for testing and to detain you for questioning, or even arrest you.
It is also likely that drugs sold as a ‘legal high’ may actually contain one or more substances that are actually illegal to posses. What you may think is a legal high that you can’t get in trouble for having, could be something completely different, and in fact a class B drug.
Learn more about drugs and the law.
Risks
Just because a drug is legal to possess, it doesn’t mean it’s safe.
Short and long term:
Risks of ‘legal highs’ include reduced inhibitions, drowsiness, excited or paranoid states, coma, seizures, and death. The latest side effects from substances being sold as Ivory Wave have included psychosis, paranoia and hallucinations.
‘Legal Highs’ can have very different effects on users and risks and side effects are increased if used with alcohol or other drugs. One type of substance can also be much stronger than another (ten times stronger in some cases) and this has often led to accidental overdosing.
One of the difficulties around ‘legal highs’ is that we can’t say for certain what’s in the product, even when we can, the chemical may not have been used for human consumption before and its short or long term effects are unknown.
There has been very little research into the short, medium and long term risks of the various ‘legal highs’. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that they are far from harmless and can have similar health risks to drugs like cocaine, ecstasy and speed.
Many people in Scotland have been treated for the negative side effects of these drugs in the past year and advice from experts, users and professionals alike is to take care, think through your decision and make an informed choice about your health: ‘Know the Score’.
The future of 'legal highs'
The Government have announced that they will introduce a new system of temporary bans on new ‘legal highs’ while the health issues can be considered by an independent group of experts, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD).
Category
Stimulant
