Legal Highs

1
Legal Highs

• Dr. Paul Skett
• Forensic Pharmacologist
• Glasgow Expert Witness Service

2
Outline

• Legal Highs What are they?
• Legal Highs What do they do?
• Legal Highs toxicity?
• What is the problem?

3
Legal Highs What are they?

• Legal Highs are substances that mimic the effects
  of illegal drugs of abuse but are not (at
  present) covered by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
• Substances that mimic heroin, cocaine, cannabis,
  amphetamines, ecstasy, benzodiazepines (e.g.
  diazepam, temazepam), LSD.

4
Legal Highs What are they?

• Can range from herbal extracts that contain
  caffeine e.g. guarana, which are relatively
  benign to highly toxic synthetic chemicals.

5
Legal Highs What are they?

• Pharmaceutical companies spend billions of pounds
  trying to find and test new drugs the finding
  is easy testing costs the money!
• Just need to look for similar but different
  structures
• Lets look at an example

6
Mephedrone v- Amphetamine
Amphetamine
7
Mephedrone v- Amphetamine
Amphetamine
Mephedrone
8
Mephedrone what does it do?

• Designed to resemble amphetamine but actually has
  a mixture of properties similar to ecstasy and
  cocaine
• Euphoria, heightened awareness, alertness,
  talkativeness, empathy

9
Mephedrone what does it do?

• Side effects increased blood pressure, anxiety,
  paranoia, hallucinations, depression, fits,
  memory deficits.

10
Mephedrone

• Added to Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 on 16th April
  2010 as well as other cathinones i.e this was a
  generic regulation.
• So what did the suppliers do?

11
Naphyrone

• Suppliers had another substance waiting!
• Not in Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
• Added in June 2010

12
Misuse of Drugs Act 1971

• Government now suggest temporary ban on legal
  highs to allow research to be done to
  ascertain dangers.
• Will this work?

13
Other Legal Highs

• Anandamide legal derivative of cannabis
• Fluorotropacocaine legal derivative of
  cocaine
• All covered by Medicines Act 1968 if to be
  ingested but often sold as plant food, pond
  cleaner, bath salts

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Whats the problem?

• The word legal legal suggests safe-
  legal draws in wider user base- few, if any,
  actually tested for toxicity- many have serious
  adverse effects

15
Whats the problem?

• Huge market difficult to judge accurately but
  in the billions
• Largely in hands of criminal gangs evidence at
  present is main source is China
• Many new substances waiting in the wings

16
Whats the problem?

• Not actually sure what you are getting
• New one out Ivory Wave marketed as bath
  salts- no analysis as yet but word on the street
  is it is MPDV methylenedioxypyrovalerone-
  actually a Class B drug

17
The Way Forward?

• Increasing pressure from many sides to move
  towards decriminalising drug abuse- it is a
  MEDICAL problem- supply pure, tested substances
  e.g. heroin, cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine
• Will society accept this?

18
My contact details

• Dr. Paul SkettForensic PharmacologistGEWS46A,
  Carlton Place,Glasgow G5 9TW.
• Tel [phone]Fax [phone]email
  paul.skett_at_ntlworld.com