Synthetics & 'legal highs'

‘Legal highs’ is a general term for substances that are designed to mimic or produce similar effects to common illicit drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis. They may also be known as NEDs (new and emerging drugs) or NPSs (new psychoactive substances).

‘Legal highs' have different chemical structures to the illicit substances that they are trying to mimic, so they can be marketed as ‘legal’ and a safe and acceptable alternative to illicit drugs; however, this is not the case.

It is not known how safe they really are as there is limited research on the short-, medium- and long-term effects of these substances. There are also concerns about what is actually in ‘legal highs’. There are not always quality control checks on ‘legal highs’, so it is not always known what substances they contain.

The three most common types of ‘legal highs’ are:

  • ‘herbal highs’ or ‘party pills’
  • synthetic cannabinoids
  • research chemicals and drug analogues

Please note: Although these drugs are often called ‘legal highs’, some of these substances are actually illegal in Australia.

(From www.druginfo.adf.org.au/drug-facts/legal-highs )

For more information on the changing legal landscape for synthetics click here.

Details

Herbal Highs:

  • Also known as 'party pills', are often marketed as herbal supplements that offer increased energy or mood with similar effects to stimulants such as ecstasy or amphetamines.
  • In Australia until 2009, 'herbal highs' were primarily based on two ingredients, BZP (benzylpiperazine) and TFMPP (triflouro-methyl-phenylpiperazine). Other ingredients included piper nigrum, phenylalanine, tryptophan and tyrosine.
  • The most common ingredients in the new BZP-free 'herbal highs' are caffeine, citrus aurantium and geranamine (geranium extract).
  • 'Herbal highs' are available as pills or as small bottles of liquid.
  • They are generally swallowed.

​Synthetic Cannabinoids:

  • Synthetic cannabinoids are man-made chemicals that are similar to delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in cannabis.
  • Synthetic cannabinoids are usually sold combined with herbs and aim to mimic the effects of cannabis.
  • 'Spice' was the earliest in a series of synthetic cannabinoids sold in Australia. Since then a number of other similar products have been developed for sale such as 'Kronic'.
  • They are generally smoked or occasionally drunk as a tea.

Research chemicals and drug analogues:

  • Drug analogues are substances that are chemically similar to other drugs.
  • Drug derivatives are substances that are made from another drug. 
  • These drug analogues or derivatives often belong to various groups of drugs such as cathinones, phenethylamines and tryptamines. The most commonly known is mephedrone.
  • Labelling on these products can be deceptive, with some described as 'research chemicals', 'plant food' or 'bath salts'. They also include warnings such as 'Not for human consumption' or 'Only for research purposes'.
  • These substances may be swallowed, smoked, injected, snorted or taken anally ('shelved').
Effects

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.

 

Risks

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. Also, these three categories do not detail every reported risk of every ‘legal high’. In fact, for many ‘legal highs’, there has been little or no useful research into the short or long-term effects in people.

  • Stimulant ‘legal highs’ act like amphetamines (‘speed’), cocaine, or ecstasy, in that they can make you overconfident and disinhibited, and can induce feelings of anxiety, panic, confusion, paranoia and can even cause psychosis. They can put a strain on your heart and nervous system. They may give your immune system a battering so you might get more colds, flu and sore throats. You may feel quite low for a while after stopping using them.
  • ‘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 relaxed or sleepy and reduce concentration and slow down your reactions. ‘Downers’ can make you feel lethargic, or forgetful, and can make you physically unsteady and at risk of accidents.They may cause unconsciousness, coma and death, particularly when mixed with alcohol and/or with other ‘downer’ drugs. Some people feel very anxious soon after they stop taking ‘downers’, and if a severe withdrawal syndrome develops in a heavy drug users, it can be particularly dangerous and may need medical treatment.
  • 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). Some strong hallucinatory reactions (‘bad trips’) can lead to the person acting erratically, sometimes without regard to their safety. Some psychedelic drugs create strong dissociative effects, which make you feel like your mind and body are separated. Both of which can interference with your judgement, which could put you at risk of acting carelessly or dangerously, and of hurting yourself, particularly in an unsafe environment.

Many of these risks are increased if the ‘legal high’ is combined with alcohol or with another psychoactive drug. 

 

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