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    Take part in the legal high polls

Share your views and compare how much you know with other TSR members in our legal high polls. The results will be published here at the end of October.

• Have you ever tried a legal highs such as GBL (liquid E), BZP or Spice?
• Do you think GBL, BZP or Spice are safer to take than illegal drugs?
• Are you aware of the risks of drinking alcohol at the same time as taking these drugs?
  

   Legal highs: what you need to know

So called 'legal highs' - including GBL, BZP and synthetic cannabinoids such as Spice – can be called all sorts of names, for example: Legal E, Party Pills, Fast Lane, Silver Bullet.

In most cases, the chemicals in legal highs have never before been used as drugs, so they haven't been tested to see whether they are safe - and they don't have a long history of use, so the longer term effects are unknown.

As some of these 'legal highs' are potentially harmful and their make-up changes all the time, you can never be certain what you are taking and what the effects might be. It's especially risky to take these substances at the same time as drinking alcohol.

   Further information on each substance

GBL (Gamma-Butyrolactone)

GBL is a colourless, oily liquid that tastes slightly salty. It is closely related to the illegal drug GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate) and GBL converts to GHB shortly after entering the body.

It can make you feel euphoric and reduce your inhibitions. However, it can also cause nausea, drowsiness, coma and seizures. It can be lethal if you drink alcohol at the same time as taking it - this can lead to coma and death.

It will be a Class C drug, (when intended for human consumption) by the end of the year. There's no such thing as a safe dose, but the more you take the more likely it is that you'll suffer the negative effects.

Synthetic cannabinoids

These are found in "herbal" smoking mixes - one of the better-known brand names is 'Spice' - to mimic the psychoactive effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active principle in cannabis.

However, they could be more harmful than cannabis, due to how it's made. Synthetic cannabinoids will be controlled as a Class B drug, (like cannabis), by the end of the year.

BZP (Benzylpiperazine)

BZP comes as a tablet, a capsule, or an off-white powder. It's sometimes sold as ‘ecstasy’ or ‘legal E’. It is a stimulant so the effects are like amphetamine. BZP is a derivative of piperazine, which is used as an anti-worming agent for farm animals.

Effects include decreased appetite, difficulty in sleeping, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, agitation, collapse, fits or seizures. BZP and related piperazines will be controlled as Class C drugs by the end of the year.