Prohibitionists Say the Drugs They Banned Are Safer Than the Ones They Didn't

poledriver

poledriver

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Prohibitionists Say the Drugs They Banned Are Safer Than the Ones They Didn't

In a report issued today, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) sounds the alarm about synthetic, quasi-legal drugs such as "spice," "bath salts," and "meow-meow," saying "the international drug control system is floundering" due to "the speed and creativity" of underground chemists:

The number of NPS [new psychoactive substances] reported by Member States to UNODC rose from 166 at the end of 2009 to 251 by mid-2012, an increase of more than 50 per cent. For the first time, the number of NPS actually exceeded the total number of substances under international control (234).

Control is something of a misnomer in this context, since illegal drugs are anything but controlled.

Yet the same is true of uncontrolled substances when they are ostensibly not intended for human consumption, the dodge that sellers of psychoactive "incense" and "bath salts" use to stay within the law.

"This is an alarming drug problem," says the UNODC, "but the drugs are legal."

Reuters explains that "new psychoactive substances can be made by slightly modifying the molecular structure of controlled drugs, making a new drug with similar effects which can elude national and international bans."

The UNODC worries that "the adverse effects and addictive potential of most of these uncontrolled substances are at best poorly understood."

It says the new drugs "can have deadly consequences for their users but are hard to control, with dynamic, fast mutating producers and 'product lines.'"

It warns that they "have not been tested for safety" and "can be far more dangerous than traditional drugs."

Those safer, "traditional" drugs would be the ones that governments have arbitrarily chosen to ban, thereby driving consumers to more hazardous substitutes.

The UNODC likewise notes "concerns about the violence generated by illicit drug trafficking" without mentioning prohibition's role in making otherwise pacific markets violent.

Talk about floundering.

http://reason.com/blog/2013/06/26/prohibitionists-say-the-drugs-they-banne
 
Although I agree a lot of legal highs are extremely dangerous, I think their creation has been great. With so many new psychoactive compounds there must be an extreme amount of knowledge to be gained about how they actually interact with us and how certain parts of a molecules actually change its effects. Imagine, with enough we could possibly create the perfect psychedelics, stimulants, etc.
 
UN warns new designer drugs multiplying and authorities are struggling to react

NEW drugs marketed as "legal highs'' and "designer drugs'' are emerging fast and in great numbers, and authorities are struggling to keep up, a new UN report warned.

So-called new psychoactive substances (NPS), often sold under harmless names like spice, bath salts or herbal incense, posed a serious health risk although they were legal, the UN office on drugs and crimes (UNODC) said in its annual World Drug Report.

"Sold openly, including via the Internet, NPS, which have not been tested for safety, can be far more dangerous than traditional drugs,'' it warned.

From 166 known NPS in 2009, the number rose to 251 in 2012, according to the UN body.

These drugs, which could be synthetic or plant-based and could be easily altered to create new ones, were now outpacing efforts to control or ban them, it said.

"The international drug control system is floundering for the first time under the speed and creativity of the phenomenon,'' the UN said.

The perception that the drugs were safe also compounded the problem, it said, adding that the long-term effects were unknown.

In the United States, NPS were the most used drugs among students, after cannabis. In Europe, NPS use was on the rise, even as cannabis use has gone down and consumption of other drugs has remained steady.

New psychoactive substances were also present in Asia and Africa and with an ever-growing number of drugs to control, national health, customs and police authorities were stretched thin, requiring more international
cooperation to detect them, the UNODC appealed.

Worldwide, cannabis was still the most commonly used illegal drug with 3.9 per cent of the global population aged 15-64 using it, the report said.

In 60 per cent of countries however, prescription drugs like sedatives and tranquilisers were among the top three misused substances, which was "of particular concern,'' it added.

The market for amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), which include ecstasy and methamphetamine, was also growing, especially in east and southeast Asia, the UNODC found. Ecstasy was on the rise in Europe.

Meanwhile, eastern and western Africa were becoming increasingly important to traffickers.

A new maritime route seemed to have developed from Afghanistan through Iran and Pakistan leading south towards Africa, "a worrying trend'' given the lack of trafficking information on that continent, the UNODC said.

"Africa is increasingly becoming vulnerable to the drug trade and organised crime,'' UNODC chief Yuri Fedotov warned.

With US-led NATO troops due to leave Afghanistan in 2014, Mr Fedotov also urged "concerted efforts'' to help curb drug production in the war-torn country. Last year, Afghanistan produced 74 per cent of the world's opium, according to the UNODC.


Read more: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/he...ct/story-fneuz9ev-1226670520048#ixzz2XN3W1vcE
 
Perfect, ahem, is a highly subjective word. Amphetamine is more perfect in my opinion overall though. The, the perfect drug overall would be dextroamphetamine: productivity, mood lift, duration, vigilance, and limited/no toxicity if used responsibly; other negative side effects of responsible use include a little crash, less appetite, a bit of irritability, a bit of insomnia - all easily surmountable for the educated user. Its like coffees balls finally dropped.
 
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