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Why Do We Use Legal High?

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A ‘legal high’ is perhaps more accurately described as an unbanned substance which possesses the ability to alter the mental and physical state of an individual to mimic illegal drugs, based on its distinct chemical properties. Legal highs are ‘not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act’ , but restrictions prohibit the selling of legal highs for the consumption of human beings hence they are often sold as chemicals such as bath salts. Substance misuse with regards to ‘legal highs’, young people and the limited success of policies implemented currently to eradicate such misuse is a prevalent issue subject to intense debate amongst politicians globally. A report published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre states how ‘in 2013, 16 per cent of pupils had ever taken drugs’, illegal and legal inclusive. …show more content…

This is a clear indication of the lack of current government policy successes as the figure remained constant from previous years, however a range of other crucial factors such as ease of access, lack of realism and legality play a significant role in the increased use of ‘legal highs’, the most significant factor being social pressures which cannot be overlooked. Although educating the youth on the dangers of using ‘legal highs’ as well as introducing certain policies has increased awareness of the dangers that these substances possess, one can argue that the existence of the term ‘legal high’ in itself is evidence of the little influence that government policies have on the decision of an individual to misuse substances and had previous government crackdowns significantly reduced its use then such a term would cease to exist. Inevitably this leads us to ask the question, why then is the message not getting

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