legal highs- what is it all about? sinead o’mahony carey substance misuse service hse 2010 sinead...

Legal Highs- What is it all about? Sinead O’Mahony CareySubstance Misuse Service HSE 2010

Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance Misuse Service HSE 2010

IntroductionThis is an introductory guide to drugs that are used legally andillegally in Ireland. Some of the ethno botanical psychoactive ingredients havebeen reportedly used for a number of reasons globally forcenturies including medically, religiously and spiritually. Withthe every changing nature and trends of Substance use andmisuse in Ireland drugs that are not included under the Misuseof Drugs Act 1977- 1984 have become increasingly popular for anumber of reasons amongst our nations population. The objective of this presentation is to supply information tomedical Practitioners, key workers and parents around the areaof legal highs and their effects, signs and symptoms


What is a drug?

A Drug is any substancethat changes the way the body 1.Feels 2.Acts 3.Thinks


Eight Categories of Drugs • 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


Stages of Dependency• Drug Free• Experimentation• Recreational• Misuse• Abuse• Addiction


Epidemiological Triangle

Individual

Situation

Environment

Individual

SituationEnvironment


The Legal High Phenomena The legal high phenomenaEmerged in recent years atlow levels and in specificLocalities Primarily targetedspecific sub groups of thePopulation Advertise andsell legal highs though theproducts sold are Oftensynthetic chemicals Also thecontent on the Packaging donot always matchContents when chemicallyanalysed Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance

Misuse Service HSE 2010

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 Netherlands (6%) and Germany(4%)

• Ireland accounted for 1%


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 drugs


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 marketing approaches are highly innovative


What is Legal High ShopA legal high shop is a shopthat sells legal highs anddrug paraphernalia forSmoking and ingestingsubstances. While legal highshops may Claim they sell thesedrugs for use such as plantfeeders and fertilisers or bathsalts they sell them alongsideDrug taking Paraphernalia which May Suggest otherwise.


Legal High ShopsThe substances are generallybought from Shops or onlinethat sell legal and herbal highsand paraphernalia includinggrowing equipment These shops are known ashead shops, hemp shops,grow shops smart shopsetc..These products are alsosold on line Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance


Legal Highs Legality Legal Highs can be amisleading term becausealthough they are notListed under the Misuse OfDrugs Act most of thesubstances are regulated bythe Medicines Act whichmakes it illegal tosell, supply or advertisethem for human consumption


Not for human consumptionMany suppliers and manufactures usedescriptions such as bath salts, incense or plantfoodsThey claim these substances are “not intendedfor human consumption” as a way of gettingaround the drug lawsLegal highs are sold under a variety of namesoften with no or obscure ingredients listed onthe packet so it is impossible to know what isbeing taken and how the user is going to react


Label Disclaimer Hawaiian Baby Wood Rose Seeds:Not for human consumption Sold forbotanical / horticultural/ herbariumspecimen only .Speedo’s: Re hydrate yourselfregularly drinking lots of water orfruit juiceEX1: We make no health claims andtake no responsibility for theconsequences of their use


Banning Legal Highs Dr Corrigan NACD states that banning legal highs would only serve toForce the trade onto the black market Dr Corrigan insisted theGovernment needed to send out a Clear message to young people thatthese chemicals were not safe.“Even if you had a regulated head shop system, some of theseproducts are so dangerous that no regulatory authority would allowthem on the market. Many of these products will unfortunately end up on the black marketanyway.” “Banning these substances is sending out a clear message thatThese materials are not safe, which is important as a lot of youngpeople think these materials have been legalised by the use of thisphrase ‘legal highs,’ but nobody has certified these chemicals as beingsafe of good quality,”


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 substancethat changes the way abody feels acts or thinksA Legal high is a drug that isnot controlled under theMisuse Of Drugs Act 197784 and is Therefore legal topossess


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


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


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.


Methods of UseInjected with a needle under the skin, into a vein ormuscleSmoked or inhaled through the mouth or nose, orInhaled by using burners, hookahs, pipes or tinctures Placed on a mucous membrane such as nose orunder the eyelid, anus. Chewed, swallowed or dissolved slowly in themouth or Rubbed into the skinTablet Form – swallowed mixed with juice – to create an effect


Consequences of using legal highs

• Anxiety• Seizures• Hot and cold

sensation all at once

• Tingling sensation

• Depression• Memory Loss• Impotence • Paranoia• Kidney Failure• Panic attacks • Death


Products Ingredients

Products include three main sources1.Ethno Botanical psychoactive plants and Herbs

2.Natural and Synthetic Chemicals

3.Compounds Sinead O.Mahony Carey Substance


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 fatal to those who ingest them …salvia


Synthetic Chemicals Other legal highs areknown as synthetic drugs.These are drugs createdto get around the druglaws usually by modifyingthe chemical structure ofexisting drugs or bycreating a new drug thatcan produce similareffects to illicit drugs but legally


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


legal highs- what is it all about? sinead o’mahony carey substance misuse service hse 2010 sinead...

Documents

misuse of drugs act

illegal drugs sinead

legal high phenomena

symptoms sinead o

analysed sinead o

thinks sinead o

legal high shops

ireland drugs