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Q&A on 'legal highs'- ask a drugs expert your questions now!

The Psychoactive Substances bill is coming into force which means that legal highs will now be banned. So effectively they will be illegal highs :tongue:

If you're curious about the new law and how it will work or about drug use generally, post a question in here for drugs expert Dr Owen Bowden Jones who will pop onto TSR on Friday 3rd June at 3pm.


Should be a good one :biggrin:

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Original post by Queen Cersei
The Psychoactive Substances bill is coming into force on Wednesday 6th


Thought it had been postponed indefinitely. :s-smilie:

Nice easy one.

What is a psychoactive substance?
(edited 7 years ago)
What absolute rubbish. The fact that it's the 21st century and adults still aren't allowed to do what they want with their own bodies is a joke.
healthcare professionals should be in charge of healthcare matters: not some jumped up grammar school twit with an economics degree from oxbridge who doesnt even know what hypertension is
Original post by quasa
healthcare professionals should be in charge of healthcare matters: not some jumped up grammar school twit with an economics degree from oxbridge who doesnt even know what hypertension is


Are drugs and drug use a healthcare issue or a social issue? :holmes:
I'd like to know the research-backed reasons why these were banned.

EDIT: This is actually a really useful thread, good work TSR guys!
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by quasa
x


Hopefully he was asking about the technicalities of a psychoactive drug as defined in the bill, because the last one was so vague that it would have extended to the banning of herbal tea.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by dean01234
Hopefully he was asking about the technicalities of a psychoactive drug as defined in the bill, because the last one was so vague that it would have extended to the banning of herbal tea.


strictly speaking, caffeine could be classified as a psychoactive substance.

btw, I havent read the bill so could someone please post key points regarding it
Original post by Queen Cersei

Still worth popping your questions in here for when it happens and I will bump it nearer the time :h:


Any reasons from the horses mouth as to why? There was a thread about this I'll try and find it, somebody posted the actual bill which had been approved by parliment.
(edited 7 years ago)
Why would anyone want to take illegal highs? It's beyond me
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by hezzlington
Any reasons from the horses mouth as to why? There was a thread about this I'll try and find it, somebody posted the actual bill which had been approved by parliment.


They've delayed because of concerns that it's not enforceable, as the bill isn't totally clear on what is and what isn't banned.

Here's an article explaining.
Original post by Puddles the Monkey
They've delayed because of concerns that it's not enforceable, as the bill isn't totally clear on what is and what isn't banned.

Here's an article explaining.


Yep! Just seen it, here's some more juicyness

http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2015-16/psychoactivesubstances.html

http://the-ata.org.uk/new-psychoactive-substances-act.html
I'd also love to know why drugs like LSD are illegal?
(edited 7 years ago)


It's a bit of a mess. I'm totally in support of getting legal highs under control as they can be horrendous and you shouldn't be allowed to sell them, but maybe regulating the drug industry would be a better way forward rather than trying to come up with a vague and confusing bill to try and cover some things but not others.
What about the legal highs that are absolutely fine? What about illegal drugs that are absolutely fine?

When I say absolutely fine, I mean in comparison to already legal products such as tobacco/alcohol.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by quasa
both actually. drug use can be considered a health problem. the consequences of misuse can result in hospitalisation for side-effects, withdrawal or sectioning for mental behaviour: all of which is paid for via the NHS

:beard:

The problem with drugs being filed under healthcare is that they'd probably still remain illegal and the problem wouldn't go away - currently in order for a drug to be licensed for sale it has to have therapeutic benefits which outweigh harm/side effects.

So you'd have to create a new set of rules to legislate drugs from a social perspective. :holmes:
Original post by hezzlington
x


Sure, but the issue with some new legal highs is that they're often new substances with no data *at all* on how they affect people short term and long term. At least with established drugs we do have decades of people taking them, although with substances like MDMA we're only just starting to find out what the long term effects might be. Really we need to do some proper scientific research/trials in to all these substances so we know what the effects are.

That's why I'm in favour of regulating the recreational drug industry - one of the best things about living in the UK/EU is that I can walk in to a pharmacy and know that every packet of medicine is regulated and contains exactly what it says it does, with a list of side effects and contra-indications. It should be the same for recreational drugs.

Then we can deal with the social and health implications of drug abuse separately.

:beard:
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Puddles the Monkey
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Yet LSD is still illegal!

But yes, good point.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by TSRUsername99
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Poppers aren't illegal I don't think....?
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I really don't understand what they hope to achieve in this bill, they can't even agree upon the definition of 'psychoactive' and there is very little reason for them to turn around and say that drugs such as caffeine, tobacco and alcohol are fine, yet legal highs which exhibit the exact same effects are not.

I expect nothing less from a backwards thinking conservative government, but this is really a complete facade and the wrong way to go about drugs.

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