Legal Highs on the Internet

Abstract

This article describes the findings of a descriptive analysis of 27 online drug retailers selling legal alternatives to illegal drugs, commonly referred to as "herbal highs" and "legal highs" in 2008 . The study attempted to quantify the online availability of drug retailers, to describe common products and characteristics in EU-based retail sales. The findings highlight the concern about the lack of objective information about products offered, including potential risks to health. Systems should be developed to assess the contents of products and the accuracy of information provided on the Internet, alongside continued monitoring of this market for "legal high" substances.

Using Internet Snapshot Surveys to Enhance Our Understanding of the Availability of the Novel Psychoactive Substance 4-Methylaminorex and 4,4′-Dimethylaminorex

“…In addition, the majority of Internet sites selling 4-methlaminorex quoted in US dollars rather than GB pounds sterling or Euros, which has not been seen in other Internet snapshot studies [2,[9][10][11][12]. Similar to other previous Internet snapshot studies, for example alpha-methyltryptamine (AMT) and methiopropamine, the cost per gram of both 4-methylaminorex and 4,4′-dimethylaminorex decreased with increasing size of intended purchase [11,12].…”

“…Using the EMCDDA Internet methodology [9,10], we undertook an English Internet snapshot survey using the Internet search engine 'google.co.uk' in April 2014. The search terms used 'buy 4-methylaminorex', 'buy U4Euh' and 'buy 4,4′-dimethylaminorex'.…”

“…The EMCDDA has developed a novel monitoring technique known as 'Internet snapshot methodology' [9,10]. This methodology allows understanding of the role of the Internet in the supply, availability and cost of NPS and allows monitoring of trends in this availability and cost.…”

A New Beginning: An Overview of New Psychoactive Substances

“…Despite these factors making the drug market a more approachable platform, positivity may stem from this as forums providing advice, ratings on sellers and products, has the potential to reduce negative reactions to 'faulty' batches [6]. This accessible information appears attractive to younger generations, and in a survey conducted by the European Commission in 2008 amongst 15-24 year olds in the EU, the internet (61%) was shown to be the most popular source for information, followed by friends (35%), health professionals (24%), relatives (27%) and drug counsellors (25%) [32]. Additionally, the number of EU 15-24 year olds who looked to the internet for information around NPS increased from 30% to 64% between 2001 and 2011 [5].…”

A comprehensive computational analysis of cathinone and its metabolites using quantum mechanical approaches and docking studies

“…Cathinone is chemically b-ketoamphetamine, which can easily permeate the blood brain barrier (BBB) layer, causing sympathomimetic and psychostimulant actions by acting as a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant by promoting the release of monoamine neurotransmitters and likely inhibiting their uptake [2]. In recent years, cathinone and its derivatives are appeared in the illicit drugs market and these materials can be easily purchased from the internet at low cost [3]. Cathinone users report increased level of energy, a sensation of elation, and an enhanced imaginative ability similar to the effect of amphetamine [4].…”