Party Vibe

here’s another minor point (or not so minor if you end up crossing swords with anyone in authority)…. and worth noting as it could save your money, livelihood or (in extreme cases) your liberty!

The term “legal / herbal highs” is merely a marketing ploy used by the people what sell these chemicals.

They are just drugs the authorities and regulators haven’t caught up with yet. As soon as they get popular (particularly if when abused they cause similar health problems to the other party drugs), the regulators will step in and make these drugs illegal too.

Unfortunately, despite the worlds leaders arguing and fighting wars over political ideologies, religion, resources, at present one thing they all agree about is that non medical/recreational drug use is criminal and anti-social!

There is currently a global consensus backed up by UN conventions and each sovereign nations laws that getting high in itself is a criminal activity, and considerable resources are expended worldwide to enforce these laws.

Although we may disagree with this, there is nothing we can do until such time that the world view changes.

Maybe one day banning drugs will be seen as ludicrous and unwanted as racism or sexism or any other form of discrimination – but that will depend on users being sensible and seems to be at least two generations away in the current climate.

And at street level if a cop busts you with two odd looking pills or a bag or powder in your pocket you will get arrested on suspicion anyway in most jurisdictions. Cops aren’t scientists, but they have the power to enforce the law and seize the substances so a proper scientist can see what they are.

Until then, I would suggest discussing “legal” highs with the same level of discretion as you would any current recreational substance. Its of course up to the sellers of these substances how open they are (due to different world laws) but the more people shout about them the more likely those in authority may start sticking their nose in and restricting their availability.

under the Medicines Act, all pharmaceutical chemicals not already under class A B or C are legal to possess but illegal to sell or use as a drug.

true, but in the UK (I cannot comment about the situation in other nations) this is more an issue for those marketing these substances than selling them.

in Britain a suspected class A user (even sometimes for the worse class A’s) is very often offered the “chance” of a Formal Caution if they admit to possession. This means as little as 2-6 hours in the cells, a considerable saving to the public purse as the substances don’t need expensive testing nor does the Court system have to be used, and the matter remains private between the Police and the individual.

If however they argue the case that these are “legal highs” they will be bailed whilst the substances are tested (with more uncertainty/stress) and may have to appear before the Magistrates Court, with every chance the case will be reported in the local press with their full name and home address being published (and from monitoring crime news I’ve noticed this seems to happen whether people are guilty or not).

As a Formal Caution is no big deal unless you want to go for a very high flying job or to travel to the USA (I’ve clocked up two yet have a management position in a company where by law they must have enhanced CRB disclosure), many people take this option rather than try to play the system, but for a small time user weighing up the risks against the rewards, this means they may as well just do the illegal drugs if they can get them!

yep, people have even been done for fraud for selling inert substances!

the whole thing about “plant food” is one of the loopholes, but these loopholes are quickly stopped up these days.

Usually its because people have been stupid and overdone the substances, felt ill and gone running to the NHS (who also enforce the Medicines Act!). And that was precisely the same way many years ago the current set of party drugs became illegal….