Unscrupulous traffickers of psychoactive substances face up to 7 years in prison as the trade becomes illegal today (Thursday 26 May). The psychoactive substances law sends a clear message: these drugs are not legal, they are not safe and we will not allow them to be sold in this country. This is an older law that prevents the abuse of controlled drugs. Basically, drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy made it illegal to produce, supply or import these substances. The trade in “legal highs” was banned in 2016 when the UK government introduced the Psychoactive Substances Act. Two years later, the government published a review of the impact of its legislation. Interestingly, the government decided to release the review quietly and without fanfare – perhaps because of the problems it reveals. It should be noted that the Psychoactive Substances Act does not include the possession of legal highs as a criminal offence. Indeed, the law aims to crack down on manufacturers and distributors, not on consumers of substances. Legal highs are not only dangerous to your health. As we explained in a previous section, possession of legal elevated drugs in prison can lead to legal consequences. It`s no secret that most people like to look for thrills. More than 34% of adults in the UK have taken illegal drugs at some point in their lives.
When the Psychoactive Substances Act was passed by Parliament, we agreed that it would shut down “headshops” that sold legal highs or “new psychoactive substances” as they are better known. These include new types of stimulants and synthetic cannabinoids sold under a variety of misleading names such as “spice.” Headshops have largely disappeared. But we also made more pessimistic predictions, and these also turned out to be true. Now that we have answered the basic question “What is a legal high?” It`s time to reach different types of heights. Don`t be fooled by the packaging of some legal highs that claim to be “plant-based highs” as an alternative to illegal drugs like cocaine. Plant-based tops are substances found in nature (such as salvia) and not chemical mixtures with a small plant element. Legal highs are similar to legal drugs. Some make you hallucinate, others make you high, and others are aphrodisiacs.
They range from plants to synthetic drugs to things you can buy at a pharmacy – but that doesn`t mean they`re safe. The Psychoactive Substances Act does not replace this Act. As a result, this means that everything that was previously illegal is still illegal, and drugs that are considered “legal highs” are now also illegal. The new law, which came into force on May 26, does not prohibit the use of these products, but makes it illegal to import or deliver them. You`ve probably heard the phrase “high legal” hovering over the place. But did you know that many “legal highs” aren`t really legal? Let`s bet this needs to be clarified. When it comes to this type of drugs, there are a lot of Unkowns. Since many people prefer their more well-known counterparts like MDMA, there wasn`t a need to know much about them. But that is changing. Legal highs are becoming more common, so we decided it was time to have a conversation about them. Of course, there are legal drugs in the UK that you can take.
But these are completely separate from “legal highs.” Legal highs have been made illegal since 2016. We said that once the law was introduced, it would lead to legal complications because of its confusing definition of a psychoactive substance. We assumed that closing the main stores would change drug use patterns, with the use of new substances shifting to the most vulnerable groups such as prisoners and the homeless. And we also suggested that the law would lead to a merger of the market for new psychoactive substances with the existing street drug trade. All these predictions have come true. Whether using legal or illegal drugs, a person can develop an addiction. Even if you prefer to get a legal high, it is possible to become addicted to this substance. Based on the common name “Legal High”, you might think that by taking these substances, you will have no legal effect.
