"Legal highs" getting harder to police in Europe. Will the U.S. be far behind?

Examples of "legal" recreational supplements in Europe

By: BBCNewsbeat
Additional info by:  Gere Iverson - MSTv

We've seen the beginnings of this trend in numerous, smaller convenience stores across the United States. But, its availability and usage has grown to epidemic levels as more legal highs are available in the European continent.

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) found 73 new synthetic drugs last year, compared to just 49 in 2011.

The agency says there have been positive changes in the use of more established drugs, such as fewer new users of heroin and declining use of cannabis and cocaine in some countries. But, European officials are worried about continuous, new man-made drugs being offered on the market.

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What are legal highs and why should we worry about them?

Legal highs are substances which produce the same, or similar effects, to drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy, but are not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

In many cases, they are designed to mimic class A drugs, but are structurally different enough to avoid being classified as illegal substances, so it is legal to possess and use them.

There has been little research into the short, medium and long-term effects of legal highs on users.

Some drugs marketed as legal highs have been found to contain some ingredients that are illegal to possess.

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What are risks and why are they legal?

You increase the risk to yourself if you combine alcohol with any legal or illegal substance that causes a high, including the risk of death.  Also, because the ingredients are unknown, you could have reduced inhibitions, drowsiness, excited or paranoid states, coma, seizures and death.

Since possession and use of legal highs is not controlled by the Misuse of Drugs Act it is illegal under medicines' legislation to sell, supply or advertise the substances for "human consumption".

Sellers often refer to them as research chemicals, plant food, bath crystals or pond cleaner to get around the laws.  Also, earlier this year the government classified legal high black mamba and methoxetamine (mexxy) in the same way as cannabis - as Class B drugs.

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How do they get around Europe? And should the U.S. be concerned?

The EMCDDA found that the way the fake legal highs are brought in to the country has changed.

European police agency, Europol, has also suggested that they were now often imported in bulk from China and India rather than being made in secret labs around Europe.

However, with the more strict importing and drug laws of the United States, the widespread availability of these synthetics just isn't likely.  Not likely, but also not impossible. 

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