Campaigners are warning Freshers starting university not to be lulled into a false sense of security by assuming that substances are not dangerous because they are not illegal

A selection of ‘legal high’ drugs for sale in the United Kingdom Photo: Alamy

Almost one in five new students starting university this term has experimented with so-called legal highs, a new survey has found. 

A study conducted among fresher’s arriving at a large university in southern England, found that 19 per cent admitted trying one of the potentially lethal but legal substances in the past. A further 36 per cent of those questioned said they had been offered the drugs, while 61 per cent claimed to have a friend who had taken them.

Legal highs have become an increasing problem in recent years as unscrupulous manufacturers seek to mimic the effects of outlawed drugs such as ecstasy, cocaine and cannabis, with substances not on the Government’s banned list.

Last year there were more than 80 new legal psychoactive substances identified across the EU, and each time the authorities outlaw one, the chemists, often based in the Far East, simply tweak the formula and put it back on the market.

Such substances include stimulants called Clockwork Orange, Pink Panther, AMT as well as potently strong batches of synthetic cannabis, which can be four times as powerful as the strongest illegal version of the drug.

While such substances can be purchased entirely legally in shops on the high street, on stalls at festivals and online, they can be just as dangerous as Class A substances. Legal highs have been shown to cause heart attacks, strokes, organ damage through overheating, psychosis and in the most extreme cases death.

The UN Office of Drugs and Crime estimates the number of people in the UK aged between 15 and 24 who have tried legal highs could be in excess of 670,000, making this country the highest consumer in Europe.

Campaigners are now urging youngsters not to be fooled into thinking because they are not against the law, they are not dangerous.

The Angelus Foundation, which is the only British charity dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of legal highs and carried out the freshers’ survey is urging students and parents to get educated about the array of substances currently on the market. Maryon Stewart, who was inspired to set up the charity after her own daughter died taking the drug GBL which was legal at the time, said students were particularly vulnerable to the temptation.

She said: “There is no group more vulnerable to exposure to legal highs than students. Naturally, many take the opportunity to try new experiences and our survey shows one in four have already taken a legal high. Their prevalence appears to be rife. This revelation will be deeply worrying to many parents. “These substances can have highly unpredictable effects and are marketed with little regard for the serious damage they may inflict.

“Young people and parents alike should arm themselves with information on these dangerous substances. It could easily prevent further needless deaths and preserve the mental well-being of young people in the wider world.”

:: The Angelus Foundation has produced a short film offering information on the dangers of synthetic cannabis which can be viewed here:http://www.angelusfoundation.com/video/synthetic-cannabis-90sec-film/

Source:  www.telegraph.co.uk  28th Sept. 2014