Police warn of dangers of ‘legal highs’

Devon and Cornwall Police are warning users and potential users of so called ‘legal highs’ of the risks particularly with the summer influx of tourists and festivals.

The new psychoactive substances (NPS), or ‘legal highs’ as they are more commonly known, are easily purchased online or in high street shops often labelled as novelty items or research chemicals. They also include a label ‘not for human consumption’ to get around legislation and misrepresent their true intended use.

Detective Inspector Neil Blackhurst from the serious and organised crime investigation team, said: “The most important message that we want to send out is that just because something is being sold as legal it does not mean that it is safe to consume.”

Since the widespread emergence of mephedrone, a purely man made chemical stimulant, the term ‘legal high’ has been widely used to describe substances which are either naturally occurring or synthetically produced which mimic the effects of controlled drugs on the user.

The term ‘legal high’ itself is misleading. Recent forensic testing carried out on substances sold as legal, both in the Devon and Cornwall area and nationally, have regularly been found to contain controlled drugs from class A, B and C of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This has led to individuals being prosecuted for drugs offences ranging from possession to supply.

DI Blackhurst added: “In the light of a number of recent incidents where users of these substances have gone to hospital suffering from serious adverse reactions, it is crucial that any individuals purchasing and using them are aware of and understand the issues surrounding them.

“The risk of harm to the user cannot be understated. Labels and packaging rarely suggest what the substances contain and even when details are on the packaging, what is stated on the label can have little or no connection to what is in the powder or pill.”

Police say that the greatest danger presented by NPS is the lack of research into the toxicology and pharmacology of these new substances. Due to their novel nature, there is little or no medical or scientific knowledge into the short-term or long-term effects of these substances.

DI Blackhurst added: “In our experience we have found that some individuals offering NPS for sale generally have little regard for the contents of the substances they sell. Forensic analysis has shown that products with identical packaging sold in different outlets or from the same outlets at different times contain entirely different substances, some illegal, others uncontrolled.

“Users of NPS need to be aware that they can never be sure of exactly what they are taking or what the effects will be. Unfortunately this has led to fatalities and life-changing physical damage caused by consumption of unknown substances sold as ‘legal highs’.

“Our priority is to make the communities of Devon and Cornwall aware of these dangerous drugs for their own safety. Drug use always carries risks and people cannot use drugs without a risk of being harmed.”

Advice to users from specialist Drug Liaison Officers is:

• Avoid taking illicit drugs and new psychoactive substances (NPS).
• Some NPS are extremely potent and the risk of overdosing is high. Avoid using alone. Medical advice should be sought immediately if the user begins to display an adverse reaction.
• Some NPS take a considerable time to take effect. Avoid the urge to re-dose.
• Avoid mixing with other drugs/NPS, especially alcohol. It is believed that NPS will be much more harmful if taken with alcohol and can increase the negative effects.
• Avoid taking NPS among strangers or in chaotic, uncontrolled environments which can result in unpleasant experiences or could leave you vulnerable to other risks.
• Never drive whilst under the influence of alcohol and drugs.