legal highs dr. paul skett forensic pharmacologist glasgow expert witness service
TRANSCRIPT
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Legal Highs
Dr. Paul SkettForensic Pharmacologist
Glasgow Expert Witness Service
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Outline
• Legal Highs – What are they?• Legal Highs – What do they do?• Legal Highs – toxicity?• What is the problem?
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Legal Highs – What are they?• Legal Highs are substances that mimic
the effects of illegal drugs of abuse but are not (at present) covered by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
• Substances that mimic heroin, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines, ecstasy, benzodiazepines (e.g. diazepam, temazepam), LSD.
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Legal Highs – What are they?
• Can range from herbal extracts that contain caffeine e.g. guarana, which are relatively benign to highly toxic synthetic chemicals.
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Legal Highs – What are they?• Pharmaceutical companies spend
billions of pounds trying to find and test new drugs – the finding is easy – testing costs the money!
• Just need to look for similar but different structures
• Let’s look at an example
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Mephedrone –v- Amphetamine
Amphetamine
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Mephedrone –v- Amphetamine
Mephedrone Amphetamine
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Mephedrone – what does it do?
• Designed to resemble amphetamine but actually has a mixture of properties similar to ecstasy and cocaine
• Euphoria, heightened awareness, alertness, talkativeness, empathy
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Mephedrone – what does it do?
• Side effects – increased blood pressure, anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations, depression, fits, memory deficits.
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Mephedrone
• Added to Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 on 16th April 2010 as well as other cathinones – i.e this was a generic regulation.
• So what did the suppliers do?
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Naphyrone
• Suppliers had another substance waiting!
• Not in Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
• Added in June 2010
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Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
• Government now suggest “temporary” ban on “legal highs” – to allow “research” to be done to ascertain dangers.
• Will this work?
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Other “Legal Highs”
• Anandamide – “legal” derivative of cannabis
• Fluorotropacocaine – “legal” derivative of cocaine
• All covered by Medicines Act 1968 if to be ingested – but often sold as “plant food”, “pond cleaner”, “bath salts”
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What’s the problem?
• The word “legal” – legal suggests “safe”- “legal” draws in wider user base- few, if any, actually tested for toxicity- many have serious adverse effects
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What’s the problem?
• Huge market – difficult to judge accurately but in the £ billions
• Largely in hands of criminal gangs – evidence at present is main source is China
• Many new substances waiting in the wings
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What’s the problem?
• Not actually sure what you are getting
• New one out “Ivory Wave” – marketed as bath salts- no analysis as yet but word on the street is it is MPDV – methylenedioxypyrovalerone- actually a Class B drug
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The Way Forward?
• Increasing pressure from many sides to move towards decriminalising drug abuse- it is a MEDICAL problem- supply pure, tested substances e.g. heroin, cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine
• Will society accept this?
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My contact details
• Dr. Paul SkettForensic PharmacologistGEWS46A, Carlton Place,Glasgow G5 9TW.
• Tel: 0141-418 4325Fax: 0141-418 0518email: [email protected]