'Legal highs': Ins and outs of tackling uppers and downers

New psychoactive substances, also known as legal highs, can prove damaging or even lethal. On 17 April MEPs vote on new rules to enable these harmful substances to be quickly withdrawn from the EU market. In a separate vote, they decide on more severe punishments for criminals who breach the ban on severe-risk substances, including prison sentences of up to ten years. Read on for the lowdown on legal highs.

What are new psychoactive substances?

New psychoactive substances or so-called legal highs are harmful substances often used in the EU, especially by young people, as alternatives to illegal drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy.

What are they for?

New psychoactive substances may have useful legitimate uses, such as for use in the chemical or high-tech industry or to produce new medine. However, they also have the capacity to induce depression or stimulate the nervous system, resulting in hallucinations, alterations in motor function, thinking, behaviour, perception, awareness or mood.

How do people get hold of them?

They are sold in specialized shops or over the internet, but some are available from illicit drug sellers.

How popular are these drugs?

The consumption of new psychoactive substances, mainly by young people, appears to be increasing in Europe. According to the 2011 Eurobarometer  survey 'Youth attitudes on drugs', 5% of young people in the EU have used such substances at least once in their life, with a peak of 16% in Ireland and close to 10% in Poland, Latvia and the UK.

So it's only a problem because young people use them?

The lack of reliable scientific evidence makes assessing the risks a real challenge.

Come again?

It's a health, safety and consumer protection issue.

So why don’t member states ban them?

They were launched on the market too fast and authorities didn’t have enough capacity to respond quickly enough. A record number of new substances (41) were reported in 2010, accounting for about one third of all substances since 2005.

What can be done?

We can have swifter and more effective action at EU level. Substances suspected of being an immediate risk to public healh would be temporarily withdrawn from the market, while their risk is being assessed. Substances that are considered to pose severe risks would be subject to criminal law provisions, like illicit drugs are.

Drugs: MEPs back rules to take harmful 'legal highs' off the market faster