Outlawing legal highs

The explosion in new drugs often known as legal highs has become a major headache for governments across Europe. These new psychoactive substances exploded onto Europe’s club and drug scene a decade ago. Unregulated and blamed for dozens of deaths, users rarely know what they are taking.

Experts warn such untested products pose a significant health risk. In the UK, so called Head Shops get round the law by labeling products ‘not for human consumption’. But the British government has recently announced plans to outlaw such psychoactive substances and outlets.

The move follows similar blanket bans in Poland and Ireland. But despite such efforts to control supply, new variants of outlawed drugs continue to emerge in Europe at a rate of two a week.