Even though BZP and ephedra have been made illegal in the United Kingdom, alternatives to these highly sought after party drugs have come to the forefront in recent years. Many of these legal drugs are herbal based, using natural ingredients to create all sorts of energetic highs.
People love to use these party pills when they are going to a party or a socialising event. There are pills that can make a person beam with happiness or act as mellow as a cucumber. Some pills produce the feeling of floating and powerful confidence, which is a definite plus for people who are a bit shy in social situations and need something to help them out.
Pills are consumed in capsule format, though there are some powders that offer the same kind of high that are completely legal. These powders can be put in capsules or taken in lines using a snuff bullet blizzard, which will increase the high depending upon the dosage that is taken.
With the dance culture in the U.K. growing by the year, people are looking for ways to enhance their partying experience. These pills are one way to do that, and definitely 100% legal, which is what makes them so attractive to millions of people around the world. If you are looking to get high in a way that is legal and safe, make sure to use any drug you choose responsibly.
One of the most popular ways for people in the United Kingdom to get high is by using the 100% herbal Kratom. It has gained in popularity and reputation over the past few years because of its exceptional properties. It can be both a stimulant and a sedative, and has been used for centuries as a substitute for opium. Even better, it is 100% legal, and while it can become habit forming if used irresponsibly, it also can be used in a mature and responsible manner by those who want to experience a legal high every once in a while.
Some of the effects of taking Kratom are feelings are tranquillity and dream-like states that resemble that of opium, a state of alertness and increased energy, and mild euphoria. People love it because it can make even the most menial of tasks seem enjoyable, even going so far as making the tasks of cleaning or strenuous labour seem fun. The effects of the drug usually last for up to four hours, and some people claim experiencing almost an “afterglow” the next day.
There are, however, risks to taking Kratom despite its legality. High dosages can lead to nausea and vomiting, and heavy use leads to addiction and constipation. It is completely legal in the United Kingdom, but many countries have made it illegal in the past few years because of its addictive properties.
Many headshops offer Kratom in the form of powder and herbal leaves that can be brewed in a tea for the desired effects. Many people also choose to smoke it with the use of Volcano vaporizer bags and other equipment because the effects are milder when used in this way.
Anyone with existing health problems and those taking antidepressants should avoid Kratom.
If you have never tried Salvia Divinorum, then you will discover all the need-to-know information below.
This herb has been used for hundreds of years by the Mazatec Indians as a means of expanding their minds and looking for spiritual journeys. It has some medical and meditative properties, as well, which are highly popular amongst those who are seeking a higher plane of existence.
Smoked pure with the use of Roor pipes, Salvia Divinorum creates some intense effects. The journey it takes the user on has been different for different people, ranging from uncontrollable laughter to euphoric moods, and altered perceptions to overlapping states of reality. When used with respect, this all-natural herb can create inner harmony and help you understand yourself and your place in the world.
Best of all, it is not habit forming, very rarely produces any adverse side effects, and never leaves users with a hangover. The best way to use this herb is to inhale it, as it has been used in Mexico for generations.
Cough syrup, otherwise known as Dextromethorphan or DXM, has become increasingly popular as a way for people to get high. Mostly the reason is because it can be purchased at any chemist’s shop across the U.K. over the counter without consulting a physician, but it is partly because many people do not fully understand the risks involved.
As with anything, Dextromethorphan needs to be used with care and caution. It is not fully herbal or 100% safe either, if used incorrectly or irresponsibly. It can, however, create a mild high when taken in large enough dosages. Many young people have found it to be an inexpensive way to get high. It is also not illegal to possess it in the U.K. and can be purchased at chemist shops, even though there are some limitations on what amounts can be purchased at once.
Act responsibly if you plan to try DXM for a legal high and do your research. Remember there are plenty of 100% herbal highs available with less risk, and all you need is the herbs and some novelty ashtrays!
The question posed by this article’s title is not an easy one to answer. Substances sold as legal highs are often not fully tested and evaluated as to their possible side effects. Just because something is legal does not necessarily mean that it is safe. However, many of the legal highs are legal precisely because they are ineffectual. It always pays to research what you are buying so that you are aware of the risks.
Being In a Safe Environment
Legal highs affect different people in different ways. You should always make sure that you are with people you know when you are taking them, so that they can act if you have an adverse reaction. You should never mix legal highs with alcohol, as this can lead to dehydration, which in turn leads to stronger hangover effects. Mixing them with prescription medications can also have counteractions, where two drugs work against each other.
Controlling the Dose
It is also important to keep an eye on how much of each legal high you take. Some legal highs can be very slow to act, meaning that people sometimes take too much. A product like the Bullet Snuff Blizzard can help to control the dose of the herbal substances that you take. The Bullet Snuff Blizzard is a stylish lightweight device that looks a bit like an inhaler, and comes in a range of exciting colours. The user places a quantity of tobacco or the herbal blend of their choice into the base of the device and it dispenses a controlled dose via inhalation.
A portable inhalation device such as the Iolite can also help to filter out toxic gases when inhaling vaporised drugs. The Iolite is roughly the same size and weight as a mobile phone, and helps to control the burn of the smoking herbs, so that they are less irritating to the throat. This can also reduce the possibility of carcinogenic effects.
The term ‘legal high’ can be the cause of some confusion. The list of substances controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 2001 is always subject to review, and a drug that is legal one day can be declared illegal the next. For example, at the time of writing this article (November 2011), the British government has recently classified the formerly legal drugs known as Ivory Wave and Bonsai Supersleep as Class C controlled substances. This is due to concerns by government health experts about their side effects, which include paranoia, hallucinations and muscle spasms in Ivory Wave, and powerful sedative effects in the case of Bonsai Supersleep, a tranquiliser five times stronger than Valium.
However, these are synthetic drugs, created in a laboratory to mimic the effects of class A drugs like heroin, cocaine and ecstasy. Herbal highs are less likely to fall foul of the law, with even some quite powerful herbal drugs like khat and salvia being legal in the UK at the time of writing, though they often carry a disclaimer reading ‘Not for human consumption’, so that suppliers can protect themselves from unwanted police attention. It is always wise to check the legal status of an herbal high before purchasing. The government has a website called Talk to Frank, in which they discuss drug law in what they imagine to be the language of the streets. Whilst it is easy, and fun, to mock civil servants attempting to show how ‘down with the kids’ they are, the site is kept up to date and contains a wide range of useful information.
Drug Paraphernalia and the Law
One problem with using herbal highs is that police officers and teachers do not always know whether, say, a Roor pipe or Rizla rolling machine is being used for legal or illegal purposes. The law gives them the power to confiscate and dispose of any paraphernalia that they suspect of being associated with illegal drugs. However, prosecutions are rare, even for the shops that supply them.
Illegal drugs often have their own subculture associated with them. Marijuana has spawned any number of designs based around the distinctive shape of the cannabis leaf, often in association with the red, gold and green colour scheme that has religious significance in the Rastafarian religion. Psychedelics such as LSD produced the brightly coloured art nouveau revivalism and interest in eastern musical instruments that flourished in the late 1960s. Legal highs do not really have a subculture of their own, perhaps due to the fact that their legality produces less of a feeling of a shared secret among their users, a feeling that often creates the desire for members of a subculture to create codes with which to identify each other. However, this does not mean that no merchandise associated with legal highs exists.
Novelty Ashtrays
Roor Pipes have a series of stylish glass ashtrays for use with the smoking of herbal highs. They come with the Roor logo printed on the side in a variety of colours. Spinning ashtrays are also popular with legal high users. Usually finished in chrome, they come with a receptacle on top, into which you push your roll-up. The ashtray will then spin, disposing of your ash without mess or fuss.
Hookahs and Bongs
A hookah, or hubble-bubble pipe, is a kind of pipe that uses water to cool the herbal smoke before it is inhaled, getting rid of harmful chemicals in the process. A bong is similar, but smaller and more portable. These are popular with the smokers of herbal highs, as they provide for a shred experience. Shisha bars are now springing up in towns and cities across the country, where people can smoke legal highs publicly.
Rolling Machines
While the use of Rizla rolling machines is by no means confined to smokers of herbal highs, being equally popular with tobacco smokers, it is still worth mentioning here. A rolling machine can help measure out the perfect roll-up. The Rizla rolling machine tin is a rolling machine that snaps away neatly into a metal box. Discreet and portable, it makes a stylish accessory for smokers of legal highs.
With the Misuse of Drugs Act covering many illegal substances such as LSD, ecstasy, cocaine and marijuana, many individuals seek to use drugs will are structurally different enough not to be included under the act. These legal highs are created in an attempt to stimulate the effects that other, more illicit drugs offer whilst effectively not breaking the law. And whilst such compounds are not allowed to be sold for human consumption, they thrive on the internet market as plant food or research chemicals.
Due to the nature of the drugs industry chemists have to constantly review their substances to ensure that they fit within the Misuse of Drugs Act. Whilst this allows circumnavigation of the laws which are constantly shifting, it means that chemical compounds will often vastly differ month to month.
With many seeking to take legal highs such as cannabis seeds, the industry has boomed, particularly via the internet. Normally synthetically produced to include the effects seen from other illegal drugs, legal highs are also sometimes sold as herbal highs; though this is not strictly true. However, there are many online companies who do only deal in herbal products, including hallucinogenic seeds and cacti. These natural substances also fall under the Misuse of Drugs Act and so have to be sold as botanical use or research purposes only. In addition to legal highs, many stockists also provide a range of drug paraphernalia such as rolling machines, digital scales and smoking pipes. Snuff bullets and products from the volcano vaporizer range can also be found through these stockists.
Legal highs are drugs that have an effect on the brain and body, but which are not declared illegal by the UK government. These substances often have similar effects to illegal drugs, but they have either not yet been classified as prohibited or are deemed safe enough to be used by the general public.
Drugs that are used for recreational purposes and that are legal in the UK are often unknown to the public or misunderstood. There are different ways of branding legal substances, for example herbal highs, legal recreational drugs and happy pills.
Legal recreational drugs are often dangerous and the effects unknown, as many of them, often derived from plants, can be stronger and less predictable than the highly researched and better known illegal drugs. It is always a good idea to research the legal high you hope to use before taking it; you should also seek medical advice.
The most common and best-known legal highs are alcohol, tobacco and caffeine. A large proportion of the world’s population uses one or all of these substances. There are lots of other legal highs, some of which may be used in everyday life in different cultures, but not all of them are legal in the UK.
Legal high devices can be found on the internet, including Roor Pipes and novelty and spinning ashtrays.
Many websites sell certain substances declaring that they are for research purposes only or not for human consumption, because it is illegal for them to sell them any other way. Make sure that you check this thoroughly before buying supposed legal highs from such websites.
There are several groups of commonly used pills that have similar effects to some illegal drugs, including “uppers” “downers” and “hallucinogens”.
As the names suggest “uppers” are taken to enable the user to relax, whilst giving them energy and a feeling of being happy and stimulated. They often contain phenethylamine and dimethylamylamine, which are chemicals that stimulate the body and are similar to caffeine in terms of their effects.
“Downers” are taken to relax and unwind the user and send them into a calm and often euphoric state. These types of pills are often made from herbal ingredients and make use of natural, plant derived chemicals.
The effects of “hallucinogens” are quite obvious, they make the user see, hear or feel sensations that are not necessarily there in reality or increase the colour, noise or smell of the users surroundings. This can be quite daunting for someone who has never taken these types of drugs before, so special care and attention should be taken when using them. Laughing, having heightened senses and enjoying what is going on around you are all effects experienced when taking hallucinogens, which include chemicals found in plants and fungi.
It is also possible to break down pills to create snuff and there are plenty of devices to get your snuff high. They include the very popular snuff Bullet Blizzard, among others.
As with all legal highs it is essential to remain vigilant concerning what is classed as legal and to understand that some pills may have components that are illegal. Ensure that the website you are thinking of using lists all the ingredients and check them out before purchasing.
