Governments around the world are struggling to cope with an increase in the number of new drugs known as “legal highs”, according to the 2013 World Drug Report.
The use of traditional drugs, including cocaine and heroin, is stable worldwide, the report, by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said.
However, the authors indicated that legal highs, or new synthetic substances (NPS) are being spread continuously through the internet.
A 2011 study demonstrated some of the dangers of purchasing legal highs online. For example, many of the drugs do not contain the ingredients they claim.
NPS are usually based on the psychoactive components of other drugs that have been chemically modified, the experts explained.
The scientists said:
“Marketed as ‘legal highs’ and ‘designer drugs’, NPS are proliferating at an unprecedented rate and posing unforeseen public health challenges.
The report shows that the number of NPS reported to UNODC rose from 166 at the end of 2009 to 251 by mid-2012, an increase of more than 50 percent.”
These “seemingly legal drugs” can result in fatal outcomes. The authors pointed out that NPS have not been analyzed for safety and can be a lot more risky than traditional drugs.
Young people are deceived into thinking that they are indulging in low-risk fun as a result of the street names given to the drugs, such as:
- meow-meow”
- “spice”
- “bath salts”
A previous report explained that bath salts dangerously produce combined effects comparable to both methamphetamine (METH) and cocaine.
Novel substances are being identified frequently and authorities are having a hard time keeping up, the UNODC revealed.
The report stated:
“While law enforcement lags behind, criminals have been quick to tap into this lucrative market. The adverse effects and addictive potential of most of these uncontrolled substances are at best poorly understood.”
Written by Sarah Glynn