What are ‘legal highs’? ‘Legal highs’ are substances which produce similar effects to illegal drugs (such as cocaine, cannabis and ecstasy) but that are not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act. These new substances are not yet controlled because there is not enough research about them to base a decision on. However, more and more ‘legal highs’ are being researched to see what the dangers are and if they should be made illegal. 'Legal highs' cannot be sold for human consumption so they are often sold as bath salts or plant food to get round the law. Just the fact that a substance is sold as legal to possess, doesn’t mean that it’s safe - you can’t really be sure what’s in a ‘legal high’ that you’ve bought, or been given, or what effect it’s likely to have on you. We known that the use of many ‘legal highs’, like mephedrone, Ivory Wave and 5-IT, have been directly linked to emergency hospital admissions and, in some cases, deaths. What are the effects of ‘legal highs’? The main effects of almost all ‘psychoactive’ drugs, including ‘legal highs’, can be described using three main categories: •stimulants •‘downers’ or sedatives •psychedelics or hallucinogens. Whilst drugs in each of the categories will have similarities in the kinds of effects they produce, they will have widely different strengths. •Stimulant ‘legal highs’ act like amphetamines (‘speed’), cocaine, or ecstasy, in that they can make you feel energised, physically active, fast-thinking, very chatty and euphoric. However, they can make you overconfident and disinhibited, and can induce feelings of anxiety, panic, confusion, paranoia and can even cause psychosis. •‘Downer’ or sedative ‘legal highs’ act similar to benzodiazepines (drugs like diazepam or Valium), and like cannabis or GHB/GBL, in that they can make you feel euphoric, relaxed or sleepy and reduce inhibitions and concentration, making you feel forgetful, and can slow down your reactions. •Psychedelic or hallucinogenic‘legal highs’ act like LSD, magic mushrooms and ketamine. They create altered perceptions and can make you hallucinate (seeing and/or hearing things that aren’t there). They can also induce feelings of euphoria, warmth, ‘enlightenment’ and being detached from the world around. However, they can cause confusion and panics. Some psychedelic drugs create strong dissociative effects, which make you feel like your mind and body are separated. http://www.talktofrank.com/drug/legal-highs