Legal Highs
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Legal Highs
Some of the major concerns with taking “legal highs” are that most of the substances are illegal to sell, supply, or advertise for human consumption, under medicines legislation, because of their effects on the body, they can contain a range of potentially dangerous chemicals, and their chemical makeup changes all the time - so you can never be 100% certain what you have bought, and what the effects may be.
The chemicals in legal highs have, in most cases, never before been used as drugs, so have had no tests performed on them to show that they are safe. They do not have a long history of use, so many of the health problems associated with them may not have yet become apparent.
Legal highs can carry a serious health risk, being legal does not make them any safer than any illegal substances.
Some of the popular ‘legal highs’ are:
Salvia Divinorum, this is from the soft leaves of the Mexican plant, it contains psychoactive chemicals that produce hallucinations when chewed or when dried and smoked. At higher doses dramatic time distortion, vivid imagery and frightening hallucinations have been reported.
Turnera Diffusa, known as damiana, is a shrub native to Central America, Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean. It belongs to the family Turneraceae.Damiana contains seta-bitoserol which is said to aid the sexual organs reigniting desire and pleasure. Damiana is particularly suited for women as it can support hormone levels and even aid nervous exhaustion. However, this has certain effects on the central nervous system. This chemical may therefore account, in part, for the reports of psychoactive effects, however the research involved is limited at this point.
Calamus extracts main ingredient is Aserone which is converted into TMA-2, which is the basic building block from which most modern amphetamines were originally derived. The Ecstasy like hallucinogenic properties of the Aserone, together with the stimulating properties of the Sida extract means this drug is purchased as an Ecstasy alternative.
Caffeine whereby the common sources of this are coffee, tea, and energy drinks. In large amounts, and especially over extended periods of time, caffeine can lead to a condition known as caffeinism. Caffeinism usually combines caffeine dependency with a wide range of unpleasant physical and mental conditions including nervousness, irritability, anxiety, muscle twitching, insomnia, headaches, respiratory alkalosis, and heart palpitations. Furthermore, because caffeine increases the production of stomach acid, high usage over time can lead to peptic ulcers, erosive esophagitis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.
The law on the following has only recently been changed, and they have now been added to the ever increasing list of Class C drugs:
GBL (gamma-butyrolactone), is an industrial solvent also used as a paint stripper and this is sometimes referred to as liquid ecstasy, this is a fast-acting drug with vaguely hypnotic and euphoric effects that are emphasized when mixed with alcohol and / or other drugs.
BZP (benzylpiperazine), this is a worming treatment for cattle. This drug affects the brain in a similar way to MDMA.
Piperazines, this is marketed in the same way as Viagra, and has similar effects to ecstasy.
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