UK - Legal highs evade being banned as scientists run out of cash to test them

[edgarshade]

Guardian

Jamie Doward
The Observer, Sunday 12 February 2012

With reader comments

Now Britain's's leading expert on synthetic substances is warning that a sharp rise in the number of legal highs coming to the UK's streets, coupled with acute funding constraints, has meant many of the drugs are not being tested – with potentially dangerous consequences for public health.

Roger Howard, chief executive of the UK Drug Policy Commission, the independent body that analyses drug laws, said: "Tough spending decisions mean many police forces are reducing the amount of money they spend on forensic testing. If we think that temporary bans will somehow solve the problem we will be deluding ourselves. We should be looking to use powers like trading standards regulations, which could encourage retailers to work with the authorities to reduce the damage that drug use can cause."

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/...rone-ivory-wave?commentpage=1#end-of-comments

 

[dip12]

We should be looking to use powers like trading standards regulations, which could encourage retailers to work with the authorities to reduce the damage that drug use can cause

This seems somewhat of an outdated argument. Legalising/revamping the whole system is one thing but using trading standards to work alongside retailers (or get retailers working alongside authorities)? Legal highs (now mostly sold as research chemicals) are no longer 'PEP pills' contain BZP with doses advertised - they represent the spectrum of 'illegal drug' effects via mostly at the moment what are often novel chemical entities. In other words unless your suggesting the kind of investment pharmaceutical companies can bring to prove safety, small organisations like trading standards are not the people to 'encourage retailers to work with authorities'. Yes they can clamp down/ban/prosecute/deter RC suppliers but I can see no simple straight forward 'co-operation' that would inherently improve safety.

I do agree though this kind of science needs more funding in general but part of the problem is no one can actively research these areas without drawing insane amounts of attention (and getting their funding cut due to political/academic pressure). This leaves retrospective analysis once these chemicals have already hit large popularity.

in other words same old problem except I imagine the worlds financial problems are effecting science funding,

 

[LogicSoDeveloped]

I like that they are seeing that it is too expensive to fight drug use. The drug war is a huge waste of money. They continue it in fruitlessness.

Hopefully one day, they will learn from this and make drugs legal as the current approach to curb use is an utter failure. There is no way to stop all people from getting high.