Do you know your drugs?
Updated on 25 August 2009
The government cracks down on legal highs to combat the trade in party narcotics. So what are these drugs and why are they set to be banned?
Three main types of legal highs will be banned by the end of the year. GBL, Spice and BZP will all be re-categorised under the Misuse of Drugs Act which carries heavily penalties for possession and dealing.
GBL (Gamma-Butyrolactone)
A chemical solvent which is converted in the stomach into the Class C drug GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate) nicknamed "liquid ecstasy".
Virtually tasteless when diluted GHB emerged on the party scene in the 1990s and was banned in 2003.
GBL has already been banned for personal use in several countries including the United States, Canada and Sweden but its industrial use as a paint stripper means it is widely available on the internet and even in some health food shops for reportedly as little as 50p per dose.
The death of student Hester Stewart, 21, in April this year prompted calls for GBL to be outlawed which were led by her family.
The Home Office plans to classify GBL as a Class C drug and ban it when intended for human consumption. Other Class C drugs include tranquilisers and ketamine.
Illegal ecstasy is a street name for methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) - a synthetic mind-altering drug with hallucinogenic and amphetamine-like properties. Ecstasy is a Class A drug along with cocaine and heroin.
Synthetic cannabinoids
Spice will become a Class B drug - the same as cannabis. The government's drug adviser called for Spice to be banned earlier this month, saying it was created using dangerous chemicals although sold as a "natural" high.
Pouches of the drug are currently widely available on the internet and in so-called "head shops" for around £20 for three grams. It is sold under brands such as Spice Silver, Spice Gold, Spice Diamond and Spice Yucatan Fire.
The drug was banned in Germany, Austria and France, earlier this year. Reports from Germany suggested some users suffered heart problems after smoking the drug.
Spice and other so-called synthetic cannabinoids escape existing UK drugs laws because they do not contain marijuana and are not chemically related to it. But by spraying synthetic additives on to herbs, dealers can create similar intoxication in users to that caused by THC - a compound used as the active ingredient in cannabis.
Analysis of samples of Spice showed it had a "higher potency" than THC, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs warned. Its report said herbs listed on the packets of the drug were often not found inside and large amounts of Vitamin E were used to hide other chemicals.
Other illegal Class B drugs include amphetamines, cannabis and pholcodine.
BZP (Benzylpiperazine)
Used to worm animals and as a fertiliser but has become popular for recreational use as it can have a similar effect to amphetamine.
The drug is said to create euphoria and enhance a user's sense of taste, sound and colour. Some websites have marketed it as legal ecstasy and sell it for as little as £1 a tablet but it has already been banned in countries including America, Australia and Japan.
The government plans to control BZP, and related piperazines, as Class C drugs. Other Class C drugs include tranquilisers and ketamine.
