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Legal substances and their abuse: Legal highs

14 January 2013
Volume 5 · Issue 1

Synthetic designer drugs and plant material which have structural similarity or psychoactive properties which mimic controlled or illegal drugs of abuse are called ‘legal highs’ and are widely marketed as legal alternative to illegal drugs. Legal highs can be non-prescription drugs of abuse, legal alternatives to prescription or illegal drugs and substances classified as dietary supplements or substances marketed as ‘not for human consumption’ which can be abused to produce psychoactive effects.

The explosive proliferation and widespread availability of these legal highs combined with the ease of purchase from the internet and other sources makes it easy for consumers to obtain them and difficult for health professionals to keep up with the knowledge of newer drugs, and management of intoxicated individuals. This review will describe non-prescription drugs of abuse and other the different groups of legal highs and discuss management options. Many substances are used or abused to create a sense of euphoria or ‘high’ for the user. The initial high is followed by other effects such as feelings of power, self confidence, increased energy, and relaxation, out of body experience, increased sensations or altered perception, based on the substance or substances used. Using psychoactive substances is perceived as a recreation activity and most substance users and abusers believe that they can control their substance use but drug abuse can become habitual leading to addiction.

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