One in six of Ireland’s teens has admitted to using them — the highest proportion in the EU — while one person a week died in Britain as a result of these drugs last year.
Up until now, it could take years to identify and ban the drugs, with new substitutes appearing regularly. Getting them under control was difficult as most are bought online.
The plan is to cut short all the procedures, take any drugs with a question mark off the market quickly, and then test them.
Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding, launching the plan, said: “Legal highs are a growing problem in Europe, with young people most at risk. In a borderless internal market, we need common EU rules to tackle the problem.”
These psychoactive substances are used as alternatives to illegal drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy. They are becoming increasingly popular, with the number of new substances detected last year in the EU tripling in just three years.
The new drugs appear quickly in a large number of countries because they are being bought over the internet — for instance, 80% of them are detected in more than one EU country when they make an appearance.
The effects can be fatal, with 24 people in four European countries dying from the drug known as 5-IT within a few weeks last year, while 4-MA, which imitates amphetamine, is said to have killed 21 people.
The drugs are manufactured in labs in several countries, including China, to have the same effect on the central nervous system as cocaine or ecstasy. They can cause hallucinations and alter thinking, behaviour, perception, awareness, and mood.
Source: Ann Cahill, Irish Examiner, 18/09/13
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