Understanding Legal High Names and Descriptions

In the ongoing fight against substance abuse and addiction, we must address the growing problem of legal highs. These drugs, known more formally as new psychoactive substances (NPS), are wreaking havoc in our towns and cities. Even worse, they are wreaking havoc in the lives of users and their families. This document serves as a starting point by offering a list of legal high names and descriptions.

Before we get started, a brief explanation and history of legal highs is in order. Legal highs are substances designed to mimic the effects of illicit drugs without containing any ingredients or compounds already considered illegal under the law. Recognising this loophole, the government introduced the Psychoactive Substances Act in May 2016. The legislation now makes it illegal to manufacture, sell or distribute any and all psychoactive substances not found on the government’s prescribed exempt list.

Legal highs weren’t much of a problem up until the mid-2000s. Manufacturers were making the drugs in small quantities while competing with illicit drugs such as heroin, cocaine and amphetamine. But beginning in 2006, marketing was introduced into the distribution of the drugs. By marketing their products as plant food or bath salts and getting them on store shelves in head shops and convenience stores, manufacturers were able to swing things in their favour. Now legal highs have a greater market share than ever before.

Legal High Names and Descriptions

There are far too many legal high substances to list all of them here. Furthermore, new products are being introduced extremely quickly. For that reason, we have chosen to focus on the most widely used drugs we currently know about. Please keep in mind that many of the names on this list are generic in nature. The same drugs can be known by dozens of other names on the street.

Here’s our list of legal high names and descriptions:

• Spice – Spice was a very specific synthetic cannabinoid when first introduced. But like the term ‘coke’ has come to refer to any cola product, ‘Spice’ is now a generic term that covers almost every synthetic cannabinoid. The original Spice was a relatively benign synthetic cannabinoid on par with natural cannabis.
• Exodus Damnation – This is another synthetic cannabinoid believed to react more strongly with the brain compared to natural cannabis. It should not be confused with Exodus, a piperazine intended to mimic the effects of ecstasy (MDMA).
• Mephedrone – Mephedrone is sometimes known on the street as meow meow, bubble, bounce, MC, and M-Cat. It is a powerful stimulant with effects similar to amphetamine. And though not much is known about the long-term effects of this drug, they are believed to be similar to what one might expect from speed or ecstasy.
• Benzo Fury – This drug gets its name from the fact that it is manufactured using benzofuran compounds that act as stimulants. The drug and its compounds are relatively new, so researchers don’t know much about it except to say that it is a common substitute for both speed and ecstasy.
• N-Bomb – There are different N-Bomb drugs made with a variety of compounds that act as hallucinogens. The substances are similar to LSD in their hallucinogenic effects, including having bad trips well after taking the drugs. These drugs were classified as Class A substances in 2014 due to their dangerous side effects.
• Devils Weed – This is yet another potent synthetic cannabinoid. The product is often packaged and sold as incense or herbal smoking mixtures.
• AH-7921 – This drug is a synthetic opioid that mimics the effects of heroin. A pharmaceutical company originally developed it in the 1970s as a morphine substitute. Although not widely used in the UK, there has been at least one death reported related to its consumption.
• Etizolam – Etizolam is an approved drug in a few countries, including Japan and India. In the UK, it is not legal. It is a highly addictive tranquilliser that could be fatal if mixed with other depressants like alcohol.
• Methoxetamine – Methoxetamine is another hallucinogenic drug that is very similar to the animal tranquilliser Its effects mimic PCP when used recreationally, and it carries with it a very high potential of overdose due to its power, even in small doses.

All Legal Highs Should Be Avoided

Our list of legal high names and descriptions does not really do justice to the sheer volume of products that are out there. If you want to get a good idea just how many legal high drugs there are, we invite you to visit the Talk to Frank website and click on their link for Drugs A-Z. You will find hundreds of different first-tier names along with countless street names for each.

The point to be made here is that the market is now flooded with an endless supply of legal high substances that people are using without considering the dangers thereof. It’s not a good situation. Right now, the most important thing we can say to you is that all legal high substances should be avoided. You should not use them, period.

People who regularly use the substances often do so based on a false belief that the drugs are not as harmful as their illicit counterparts. Nothing could be further from the truth. Legal highs are extremely dangerous if, for no other reason, the fact that no one really knows what’s in them. Manufacturers have proven through their past actions that they don’t really care about the health and well-being of users, so they could put just about anything in their products.

We urge you to get help right away if you use any legal high substances. Whether you believe you are addicted or not, stopping what you’re doing may require professional help. That’s where we come in. Our job is to help you assess the seriousness of your drug problem so that we can recommend treatment options. It only takes a phone call or e-mail contact on your part.

Take this list of legal high names and descriptions as a warning that there are a lot of dangerous drugs out there which can lead to a devastating legal high addiction. Note that if you keep using, you are jeopardising your own health and life. We can help you quit if that’s what you really want to do.