The Legal high

There are a few new aphrodisiacs on the shelves at the moment. In the wake of the Viagra revolution, people are turning to sex drugs not because they need them, but just to spice up their sex lives. Products like “Rise” for men, “Librex” and “Happy Caps Sex-E” for men and women are successfully selling over the counter as recreational legal drugs.

Does this mean we are not satisfied as a nation, so we need to inject our sex lives with a bit more enthusiasm? Or simply that we can experiment, so we might as well? It is said that the fall of the Roman Empire was due to its having too much of everything. The affluent indulged themselves way beyond moderation. From feasting to sex orgies and then to human sacrifice in the form of sports such as the gladiators, they had so much that they didn’t know what to do next. They eventually became so twisted that they could no longer retain their rule and the whole empire collapsed. (OK, so maybe not quite as simple as that, but you know what I’m getting at.)

Are we heading for the same downfall? Here in the West, we indulge in recreational drugs, pornography, promiscuous sex and viewing sports such as “Big Brother” to entertain ourselves. Is this all too much and are we losing sight of what’s important? Let’s talk about the sex thing: Sex was revolutionised in the 60s with the invention of the contraceptive pill. Suddenly, there were far fewer consequences to worry about if you practiced promiscuous sex. So there were a lot of women out there making the most of this and establishing their sexual freedom. “Free love” was warped from a hippy philosophy into an excuse for sluttish behaviour. You disagree? OK, it can be said that women were just redressing the balance and that men had had this privilege for far too long. Sure, that’s true. And nature will find ways to balance things in the end. But can we not say that now’s the time to take a bit more responsibility?

Sexually transmitted diseases are becoming scarily prevalent in our society. And with international travel being so much easier, diseases are spreading faster than ever before.

I feel I might be veering off the subject a little and I apologise. I began talking about sex drugs or aphrodisiacs, so let’s get back to that. My point was, I think we are becoming bored. We have experimented with so many things just to keep ourselves stimulated, that it’s difficult to know where to go from here. So now there are people who have perfectly good sex lives, men with no erection or premature ejaculation problems and women who just want to feel more, buying aphrodisiacs to boost their bedtime activities. What happens when they get to a point when they don’t work anymore? Will they be able to go back to the sex lives they had before? Or will they be seeking the next thrill somewhere else?

I don’t know. Perhaps I’m being a real stick-in-the-mud on this issue. Aphrodisiacs are an age-old indulgence and there are plenty of herbal sex drugs out there. But I wonder if the attitude towards them has become a bit too careless.

Related Articles:

Psychoactives and Sex - Read first hand experiences and opinions.

Aphrodisiacs of past and present.

Aphrodisiacs - Wikipedia definition.

Top 10 Aphrodisiacs

BBC Guide to Aphrodisiacs

Filed under: Aphrodisiacs on April 15th, 2008 | Comments Off

Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom continues to campaign for the total legalisation of all drugs. This is a controversial point of view, but I am hoping that people will pull their heads out of the sand eventually.

Personally, I think that all drugs should definitely be legalised. Yep - crack cocaine, heroin, the lot. I’m not suggesting that everyone should try these drugs, but as Richard Brunstrom points out, PROHIBITION DOES NOT WORK! What we need is an education system that teaches the grave dangers of hard drugs and how to experiment with softer drugs as safely as possible. The fact is that people will always take drugs. So as a nation we need to take responsibility for this. Should we allow the pockets of criminals to be lined with cash from recreational drug users? And should we watch drug addicts disappear into homelessness and further crime simply because their addictions are a crime and therefore they can’t get help? (Anyone ever noticed that alcoholics don’t often end up having to steal to feed their habit? Could this be because their problem is accepted as being within the law and help is more readily available for them?)

Richard Brunstrom says that more than half of recorded crime in the UK is drugs-related. And apparently drug use contributes to some £20 billion of damage to this country every year. So if we had that money to put towards helping people instead of charging them, what a difference that could make to our society’s happiness.

Currently, our country is divided into many cultures. People in just about every culture take drugs on one level or another. Upper class businessmen are known to have heroin addictions as well as working class people. The difference is, they can sustain their habits. What happens is, people from less wealthy backgrounds get hooked on a drug and then find that they can’t pay for their intake. They can’t get help from their immediate society because they would have to admit to a serious crime, so they end up turning to bigger crime in order to support their habits. Eventually, this leads to loss of family, friends and home and their lives become a never-ending cycle of taking the drug and finding the money to pay for it.

There are people in society who have never been part of the drugs culture and have a very narrow view of drug use. This further alienates people with drug problems, because they are treated as sub-citizens. If decent and practical education was introduced, there would be less prejudice and more opportunity for drug users to seek help if they need it.

Drug rehabilitation centres are being closed down right, left and centre due to lack of funding. The amount of money this country could save if it stopped persecuting recreational users and addicts would pay for successful rehabilitation programmes.

I wish this government would give itself a kick up the arse and admit that our country’s drugs policies are archaic and it’s time we set and example rather than jumping on the back of US legislation, which we all know is totally corrupt anyway.

Good on you Mr Brunstrom. I salute you!

Related articles:

T&L Drug Legalization - American website, claiming that all drugs are a major threat to the world.

Legalise Drugs.co.uk - Someone talking sense - just because you know that drugs should be legalised, this does not necessarily mean you support drug-taking.

Eddie Elison’s Drug Legalisation Site

Gargaro.com - Against drug legalization.

Filed under: Legal Highs News on April 15th, 2008 | Comments Off

Spice - The New Legal Cannabis Alternative

Spice is a new herbal blend being sold legally in shops throughout the UK. It claims to be a legal substitute for cannabis. Only once you’ve tried it can you can appreciate how true this is!

The ingredients of Spice are 100% herbal and natural. It is the combination and the precise ratio of these ingredients that produce such a potent and pleasing drug. Users tend to smoke Spice in joints with a bit of tobacco, just like cannabis. Unlike cannabis, it takes a little longer for the hit to take effect, but once it does, it’s a very beautiful feeling. And it lasts for ages. AND you can smoke it in the pub or on the street without the worry of being arrested!

Similarly to cannabis, users are treated to heightened sensory experiences – music and colours come alive, sense of movement and touch is magnified. Spice also increases creativity and philosophical thought. It certainly gets you high and very relaxed at the same time. Of course there are some differences in the psychoactive effects of Spice compared to cannabis. These are: no paranoia, no monging out, ability to carry out any tasks you feel like doing, ability to sustain conversation.

So, to get a real idea of what Spice is all about - take cannabis, take out all the bad bits and hey presto, that’s Spice!

There are a lot of people around who no longer enjoy cannabis because the negative effects have begun to outweigh the good effects (especially with chemically enhanced strains like skunk) but they’d still like to indulge a social smoke from time to time. Spice is the answer to this and already, hundreds of people have converted to it and regularly buy from retailers.

Spice is nice! And so’s the price! Give it a go – you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Spice is manufactured in the UK.

Filed under: Legal High Reviews on February 25th, 2008 | Comments Off

What is Kratom?

Kratom is a tall leafy tree that grows in tropical climates, mainly in Thailand and South East Asia. It is usually between 3 and 15 metres tall. Kratom’s botanical name is Mitragyna speciosa and it is part of the Rubiaciae family (the same family as coffee trees).

Kratom has stimulating properties and has been used for a long time by humans as an opiate substitute. However, unlike opium, it can have an amphetamine-like effect on the user. Users in its native environment tend to chew on fresh Kratom leaves. Leaves can also be crushed or powdered and added to liquid like tea. Kratom is occasionally smoked, but has no stronger effect if taken in this way. It is generally the working class that choose Kratom as a habitual drug.

Kratom is legal to sell in the UK. It can be bought in extract form and mixed with liquid. Kratom should always be taken on an empty stomach.

Filed under: Legal Highs News on February 25th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

What became of BZP products?

BZP products were all the rage in the UK for several months. The most popular brands included Funk Pills, London Underground and PEP Pills. It started in New Zealand where manufacturing party pills containing the synthetic ingredient BZP was legal and safe. Quickly, news of this latest legal high spread to the UK and Europe and headshops began to supply their customers with BZP products. More…Many happy shoppers enjoyed their weekends that little bit more, buying legal, clean products over the counter, without fear of being branded criminals and with the ability to read the exact contents of their chosen pills.

BZP party pills were sold under the banner of “Drug Harm Minimisation Solutions”. The idea was to allow people to make informed decisions about what they were taking, within the confines of the law and with straightforward dosage instructions and warnings for all users. Those who tried them welcomed this change. No longer did they have to conceal their recreational choices and, with open discussion of ingredients and effects, many users felt that this new wave of legal highs dispelled the negative stigma attached to the party scene.

The fact is, if you buy illegal drugs, you are buying into a massive criminal world, associated with all manner of things that your average night-clubber wouldn’t know or want to know about. And it’s not a nice feeling for people who are otherwise considered no danger to others to be sneaking around, carrying dodgy substances and worrying they might get caught for wanting to boost their evening and experiment with their own minds. The concept of separating the party scene from the criminal scene is appealing on many levels. The harmfulness of drugs is mainly due to their being forced underground and therefore anyone wishing to try out a substance is automatically introduced to criminality. Also, it will greatly undermine the illegal market for drugs if people can buy them above board. Add the fact that legal drugs could mean better education for youngsters and you’ve got a pretty good case for legal highs. For example, some parents may be reluctant to tell their children that they have experimented with drugs because they don’t want to set a bad example. But if the drugs they have tried are legal, at least they won’t be condoning crime. And let’s face it, most kids will try drugs at some stage, so surely it’s better to be able to talk about then.

Back to BZP:

Unfortunately, when the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) heard about the introduction of BZP to the legal highs market, they ruled that no-one could manufacture BZP in the UK without a license. Some grey area is left regarding the selling of BZP in the UK that has been manufactured elsewhere. But on the whole, BZP is no longer available to buy here.

Of course, the MHRA has a job to do and it doesn’t involve promoting recreational drug use. In that respect, one can’t argue over their decision. However, this issue does highlight the problem of illegal drug classification in the UK. More and more, people are forming the opinion that if drugs were legalised, at least users would be able to take them safely, without contributing to a world of organised crime and with plenty of information to educate themselves. Human beings are naturally curious as to how they can alter their minds and see things from different perspectives. Experimenting with drugs will never cease. Yes, there will always be a minority of people who abuse their availability due to personal problems or addictive dispositions. That will never change either. At least we can give those who only wish to explore the parameters of their own minds the opportunity to do so with the freedom of knowledge and legality.

Thankfully, for those who are lamenting the departure of BZP from the UK market, there are now many legal alternatives with very favourable reports from users. Ingredients vary. Some are synthetic and some are completely herbal. Buyers are happy once again to be able to buy over the counter, and on the right side of the law.

Related Articles:

Click on these links to view BZP products before they were removed from the UK market. Product ingredients also have links to enable the reader to further their personal research.

Funk Pills
London Underground
PEP Pills

Party Pills - An anti-legal highs article by the National Collaborating Centre for Drug Prevention.

BZP & TFMPP Summary - How these ingredients work and what effects they have.

Filed under: Legal Highs News on February 6th, 2008 | Comments Off

What a night!!!

Neuro Blasts really are something else. I wasn’t planning to take anything that night - just a few beers would do, but when I got home my mates said they’d found these Neuro Blast things in Soho and had already taken some. They insisted that I took one to be on the same level as them and they were certainly enjoying themselves. So, without too much deliberation, I necked one with a strong vodka and red bull. We’d bought tickets to go to the roller-disco at Bagley’s in King’s Cross (their choice – not mine!) and it was a true roller-coaster ride, I can tell you!

A short while later, I was dressed in my best fairy outfit (I’m a girl, not a transvestite) and I was well on my way. I was chatting away like no-one’s business and felt positively chirpy. I’ve never had so much fun on the way to catch a South-Eastern train. Everything was hilarious. It seemed to take forever to get there and it’s only a 10-minute walk. But that didn’t matter – I was enjoying all of it.

Well, the train journey up to town was certainly more entertaining than I’d expected it to be. There were four of us at this point and we couldn’t stop cracking jokes and leaping around. The other passengers seemed utterly bewildered but amused at the same time. It’s strange because I didn’t notice any particular turning point where I “came up” on these pills – it just seemed to creep up on me very gradually. But there was no denying it – I was high. I felt happy, witty, energised and absolutely absorbed by whatever it was we were doing. I made the mistake of taking my digital camera and I couldn’t stop taking pictures. There are pictures of us on the platform, on the train, getting off the train – everyone could tell we were off our faces. But when I looked at the photos afterwards, there was none of that saucer-eyed thing going on that you get from ecstasy, so Neuro Blasts are slightly better for being in public!

We went to the pub to meet some more mates who were coming to Bagleys. I hadn’t stopped grinning since we left. It was really easy to get talking to people even though I’d never met most of them before. And I didn’t get totally monged on the Neuro Blast or so loved up that I was talking shit. I was just being myself but a lot sharper and happier.

There were loads more photos in the pub. And everyone had to wear my fairy wings. One of the guys – Gaz – who’d also taken Neuro Blast – couldn’t let go of them and ended up wearing them most of the night.

After an hour in the pub to warm up, we were walking along some streets, trying to find the club and I was compelled to take pictures of some industrial cranes on a building site…! They were very significant to me at the time. We got really lost, even though Bagley’s was just around the corner. But we didn’t care – we were having a ball, just wandering around the streets of Kings Cross and accosting random strangers and taking their pictures! There was a big crowd of us by this time and everyone was my friend. I could have walked along those streets all night and stayed happy. And time seemed to stretch on, and on, and on, and on…

I thought it was at least 3am before we got to the club and wondered if they would let us in ‘cos we were so late. But it hadn’t even reached 11pm!

Eventually we got in. I lasted about 1 hour on the dance floor and fell over at least once every 2 minutes. (I’m not a skater!) I don’t think the serious roller-skaters were very impressed at all. And the four of us who’d taken Neuro Blast just kept drinking and drinking and drinking. And stupid stuff too. Quadruple vodkas and Red Bull. Not my usual thing at all, but it was just too easy to do at the time.

After a couple of hours, a few of us decided to go home and carry on the night there, cos we were just getting in the way of all the pro skaters. We chatted all the way back – this took several night busses – and then got home, drank some more, chatted some more and suddenly it was 7am… 12 solid hours of mayhem and hype!

I would definitely recommend Neuro Blast. But 2 warnings: Firstly, be prepared for a long, long night – these things can deceive you! Start with one and just see how you feel a couple of hours later. Secondly, try not to drink too much. I can handle my drink, but combined with the dehydrating effects of the Neuro Blast, this did lead to quite a nasty head the next day!

As usual with legal highs, you gotta be sensible – take your time and know your limits.

Neuro Blasts are BZP free, but they are chemical based.

Related Articles:

Neuro Blast - Forum discussion of Neuro Blast.

Filed under: Legal High Reviews on February 6th, 2008 | Comments Off

A good place for the novice to start!

EX-1s have been around for donkeys. One of the first ever legal highs, in fact. I gotta say, they still do it for me sometimes!

I think there’s a lot of scepticism around the old legal highs. It’s true to say that most of them were pretty rubbish. Just someone’s idea of trying to make a few bucks from people who didn’t know better, before all the really potent stuff came into the shops. But EX-1s are still on the market and there’s reason for it. They’re good!

If you haven’t tried legal highs before, or maybe you’ve never tried any party drugs and you’re curious to know what the fuss is all about, EX-1s are a good place to start. They are “uppers” - designed to give you extra energy and keep you awake longer. They are meant to substitute illegal amphetamine drugs like speed. And a lot of people started taking EX-1s when they wanted to stop taking illegal ecstasy pills.

EX-1s are not as strong as illegal drugs, unless you overdose, but this is never recommended. But they will give you a boost, make you really chatty, keep you on the dancefloor and make you wonder how on earth you got to 6am and still on form! And some people, myself included, get proper rushes when they come up.

The best thing about EX-1s is that they are totally herbal. There is only 1 ingredient – sida cordifolia which is a natural stimulant. And it’s fine to drink on them too. One word of warning though – because you’re on a high, it’s easy to drink loads more than you normally would and not get drunk. This is cool, but the next day you might feel a lot groggier than you expected!

Filed under: Legal High Reviews on January 23rd, 2008 | Comments Off

I had Purple Ohms for the first time at a festival recently with a mate. I took 2 capsules and he took 3. I didn’t think they’d do much, but the effects kinda crept up on me. I didn’t get a huge amount of visuals at first, but I did feel quite spaced out and floaty. It lasted for a few hours and things got more intense as it went on. My mate was seeing a lot more than me. He said things were taking on an extra dimension - objects were kind of bulging out like some kind of mad 3-d cartoon. When we got back to the tent it seemed a whole lot bigger inside! And colours were definitely brighter. I think the closest thing I could compare it to is magic mushrooms but not as full-on. The only downside was I got some knots in my shoulders that were a bit sore. But they were gone in the morning.

Purple Ohms are sold as hallucinogenics. I guess they do have some similar effects, but if what you’re after is a proper acid-like trip, then they might not be for you. Purple Ohms will definitely keep you awake for a few hours and give you a bouncy feeling with warped spacial visuals. As with all drugs, it will depend on your circumstances anyway. Maybe if I’d taken Purple Ohms indoors at a party with some stompin dance music I would have got a very different experience. As it was, I was a bit cold and surrounded by mud, so maybe this isn’t the best representation!

If you look up Purple Ohms in online headshops, they will say that you get a “shroom-like” experience. It’s definitely more shroom-like than acid-like but just don’t expect to see floating wizards and talking elephants!

If you’re gonna try Purple Ohms, I’d recommend you check out the ingredients. They contain chemicals, as well as herbal ingredients, such as piperine blend which is similar to BZP. BZP was investigated by a government body when it first came on the legal highs scene and now there’s some ambiguity over whether or not it’s still allowed. Basically, it has an amphetamine-like effect and usually enhances other ingredients.

Overall, I’d say Purple Ohms are good for a night when you wanna keep going and add an tilt to your perspective but you don’t want to go completely sideways!

Filed under: Legal High Reviews on January 21st, 2008 | 2 Comments »

Thank God for legal highs. At last, a sensible solution for drugs safety and keeping all the regular Joes on the right side of the law.

We need to face facts: most people will try drugs at some point in their lives. I did. Whoever’s reading this probably did. We are surrounded by them and it’s all part of growing up and exploring the world we live in. It’s going to happen whether it’s against the law or not. But that’s what the problem has been over the last few decades. The law. It’s illegal to take any recreational drugs such as ecstasy, speed, lsd and cocaine. Even magic mushrooms are illegal. This makes every innocent person who experiments with party drugs a criminal.

What happens when you have to go underground to buy a pill for going clubbing? You are forced to do business with drug dealers who are connected with more serious criminal activity and who can’t always tell you what’s inside your drug. So you’re already supporting organised crime and you have no guarantees that the drug you’ve bought will do what you want it to do.

Legal highs go a long way towards eliminating the connection with hard crime and innocent fun. They also give the users the chance to read and research all ingredients and check the recommended dose before use.

Legal highs have been on the market for quite some time now. At first, they were quite tame imitations of illegal drugs, with only herbal ingredients. However, over the last 2 or 3 years, stronger legal party drugs have been developed to meet the needs of your average clubber or hedonist. They are manufactured in New Zealand, USA and in the UK. They contain only legal chemical ingredients and these are all listed clearly on the packaging.

Of course, there are still many herbal drugs out there that are very powerful and not to be taken lightly, such as Peyote cactus and Salvia. These are also available to buy legally in headshops.

This blog has been set up in order to discuss various types of legal highs – their effects, how they compare with illegal drugs, the plus sides and the down sides. Now that legal highs are increasing in popularity, there needs to be open communication about how they work as well as any news that users should know. I hope that people can come here to do their own research before trying any legal highs and to add comments about their own experiences.

Related Articles:

Drugs ‘legal in 10 years’ claim - Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom campaigns for drugs, including heroin, to be made legal.

Filed under: Welcome on January 19th, 2008 | 1 Comment »