Legal Highs- What is it all about?
Sinead O’Mahony Carey
Substance Misuse Service HSE
2010
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance Misuse
Service HSE 2010
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Introduction
This is an introductory guide to drugs that are used legally
and
illegally in Ireland.
Some of the ethno botanical psychoactive ingredients have
been reportedly used for a number of reasons globally for
centuries including medically, religiously and spiritually.
With
the every changing nature and trends of Substance use
and
misuse in Ireland drugs that are not included under the
Misuse
of Drugs Act 1977- 1984 have become increasingly popular
for a
What is a drug?
A Drug is any
substance
that changes the
way the body
1.Feels
2.Acts
3.Thinks
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Eight Categories of Drugs
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Caffeine
Tobacco
Alcohol
Volatile Substances
Over the Counter Medication
Illegal Use Of Prescription Medication
Legal Highs
Any substance listed under the Misuse Of
Drugs Act
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Stages of Dependency
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Drug Free
Experimentation
Recreational
Misuse
Abuse
Addiction
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Epidemiological Triangle
Individual
Individual
Situation
Environment
Situation
Environment
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
The Legal High Phenomena
The legal high phenomena
Emerged in recent years at
low levels and in specific
Localities Primarily targeted
specific sub groups of the
Population Advertise and
sell legal highs though the
products sold are Often
synthetic chemicals Also the
content on the Packaging do
not always match
Contents when chemically
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
analysed
The Legal High Phenomena
• The internet has emerged
as a new market place for
psychoactive substances
• Two European surveys in
2008 and 2009 showed
that in 2008 there were
68 on line shops which
rose to 115 in 2009
• These are spread across
17 countries with the
majority (52%) located in
the UK, followed by
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Internet- The Legal High
Phenomena
• More than 90 substances have been
reported through the EMCDDA’s (
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and
Drug Addiction ) early warning system
since its established in 1997
• In 2008 alone there were 11 new synthetic
drugs and 2 new plant based substances
reported to the EMCDDA
• Ireland is among the large number of
countries across Europe facing a new Drug
Market which sells alternatives to illegal
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Internet The Legal High
Phenomena
• The Internet and Legal High
Shops are the main sales
outlets
• The internet has emerged as a
new market place for
psychoactive substances
providing retailers with the
possibility of offering for sale
alternatives to controlled drugs
to a large public
• This market s demonstrating
an ability to adapt quickly to
control measures and
production processes
• Therefore product ranges and
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
What is Legal High Shop
A legal high shop is a shop
that sells legal highs and
drug paraphernalia for
Smoking and ingesting
substances. While legal high
shops may Claim they sell these
drugs for use such as plant
feeders and fertilisers or bath
salts they sell them alongside
Drug taking Paraphernalia which
May Suggest otherwise.
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Legal High Shops
The substances are generally
bought from Shops or online
that sell legal and herbal
highs
and paraphernalia including
growing equipment
These shops are known as
head shops, hemp shops,
grow shops smart shops
etc..
These products are also
sold on line
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Legal Highs Legality
Legal Highs can be a
misleading term because
although they are not
Listed under the Misuse Of
Drugs Act most of the
substances are regulated by
the Medicines Act which
makes it illegal to
sell, supply or advertise
them for human
consumption
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Not for human consumption
Many suppliers and manufactures use
descriptions such as bath salts, incense or plant
foods
They claim these substances are “not intended
for human consumption” as a way of getting
around the drug laws
Legal highs are sold under a variety of names
often with no or obscure ingredients listed on
the packet so it is impossible to know what is
being taken and how the user is going to react
Label Disclaimer
Hawaiian Baby Wood Rose Seeds:
Not for human consumption Sold for
botanical / horticultural/ herbarium
specimen only .
Speedo’s: Re hydrate yourself
regularly drinking lots of water or
fruit juice
EX1: We make no health claims and
take no responsibility for the
consequences of their use
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Banning Legal Highs
Dr Corrigan NACD states that banning legal highs would
only serve to
Force the trade onto the black market Dr Corrigan insisted
the
Government needed to send out a Clear message to young
people that
these chemicals were not safe.
“Even if you had a regulated head shop system, some
of these
products are so dangerous that no regulatory authority
would allow
them on the market.
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Many of these products
will
unfortunately end up on the
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Concerns of banning legal highs
• New legal derivatives are coming on the market
every time( even before) a product is included
under the Misuse of Drugs Act – cat and mouse
• Closing shops can promote the underground
nature of the buzz attached to selling products
i.e. promotion of delivery services and on line
shopping for products
• When sold in the illegal market substances
have to compete with established illegal
substances ecstasy or cocaine
What is a Legal High
A drug is any substance
that changes the way a
body feels acts or thinks
A Legal high is a drug
that is
not controlled under the
Misuse Of Drugs Act
1977
84 and is Therefore legal
to
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Term Legal High
• The term Legal High is the term that is
being used across all media circles
including radio TV print media and internet
and as such is now established as an
accepted term and idiom
• Legal doesn’t automatically mean safe
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
What does it do?
• A legal high will mirror the effect of
illicit substances and will generally
cause the following effects
• Aphrodisiac
• Hallucinogenic
• Depressant
• Stimulant
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Concern for Primary Target
Shoppers
• 1. Recreational cannabis, ecstasy and
cocaine users – buy the product as an
alternative to its illegal counterpart
• 2. Young people 15-20 – have not
experimented with illegal substances but
will buy the legal alternative
• 3. Opiate user- buying products to mix
with or use as an alternative or to
elongate the effect.
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Methods of Use
Injected with a needle under the skin, into a vein or
muscle
Smoked or inhaled through the mouth or nose, or
Inhaled by using burners, hookahs, pipes or
tinctures
Placed on a mucous membrane such as nose or
under the eyelid, anus.
Chewed, swallowed or dissolved slowly in the
mouth or Rubbed into the skin
Tablet Form – swallowed
mixed with juice – to create an effect
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Consequences of using legal
highs
• Anxiety
• Seizures
• Hot and cold
sensation all at
once
• Tingling sensation
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Depression
Memory Loss
Impotence
Paranoia
Kidney Failure
Panic attacks
Death
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Products Ingredients
Products include three main sources
1.Ethno Botanical
psychoactive plants and
Herbs
2.Natural and Synthetic
Chemicals
3.Compounds
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
Ethno Botanical Psychoactive
Plants
• Some Legal and herbal
highs come from plants
• They are cleverly marketed
as being plant based natural
legal highs – something
more natural and therefore
less harmful than other
drugs which may not be the
case
• Some of the plants contain
potent alkaloids and
compounds which can be
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
fatal to those who ingest Misuse Service HSE 2010
Synthetic Chemicals
Other legal highs are
known as synthetic drugs.
These are drugs created
to get around the drug
laws usually by modifying
the chemical structure of
existing drugs or by
creating a new drug that
can produce similar
effects to illicit drugs but
legally
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010
COMPOUNDS
Manufacturer’s include ingredients
who’s only function is as a gelling
agent or capsule cover This may
sometimes cloud the relevant
information required before
consumption
Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance
Misuse Service HSE 2010