Legal high ‘Spice’ to be banned in the UK
A packet of the legal high Spice, courtesy of The Guardian/Boris Roessler/EPA/Corbis
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Spice, a herbal ‘legal high’ widely available on the internet and in certain ‘head-shops’ throughout England, has been brought into the spotlight of the media for the second time in 6 months. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has recently published a report urging the UK government to bring Spice under the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971), categorising Spice no longer a ‘legal high’, but an illegal substance.
The ACMD has based it’s advise to the UK government on the new evidence that Spice contains synthetic cannabinoids with a chemical structure that closely mimics the active principal component of cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The ACMD has published a report and letter advising the secretary of state Alan Johnson to follow Austria, Germany and France’s position on Spice, since it contains synthetic cannabinoids, with an unknown potency, quantity and intra-batch variability it has the potential to be more harmful than cannabis.
The report states that “there is the potential for overdose should a person use a particularly strong batch…or [Spice] with particularly high potency”. Further to this report the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) has suggested that tolerance to the synthetic cannabinoid present in Spice may occur fairly rapidly, leading to states of dependence and later withdrawal.
A spokesperson for DrugScope, one of the UK’s leading independent centres of expertise on drugs, has stated their support for the ACMD’s stance on both Spice and other legal highs. DrugScope heralds this stance on Spice as “unprecedented” given that the decision is based on the potential harms, rather than actual harm reported. They are in agreement that all ‘legal highs’ need not necessarily be banned but emphasise that “each one should be considered on a case by case basis, based on an assessment on evidence of harms. At the moment, such an assessment has not been carried out on all legal highs.” Both BZP and GBL, other legal highs that also made headlines recently when GBL was linked to the death of 21 year old Sussex medical student Hester Stewart, and the ACMD has made recommendations to bring both substances under control, again backed by DrugScope. The ACMD has previously expressed opposition to the re-classification of cannabis from a Class C to a Class B drug, and therefore has not been explicit in statements regarding Spice joining cannabis in becoming a Class B drug.
Advertisers of Spice claim that it is a safe, legal alternative to cannabis. A review published on the internet describes Spice as like cannabis without “all the bad bits”. The active component in Cannabis, THC, is thought to be responsible for the psychosis-like effects of the drug – “the bad bits”. The numerous health effects of THC have been widely researched. Changes occur in the heart, circulation and lungs, though the brain is most affected; with the highest density of cannabinoid receptors found in the frontal lobe – an area of the brain controlling functions such as thought processes, concentration, co-ordination of movement, sensory and time perception and memory.
Intoxication of cannabis causes a distortion to the control of these functions, resulting in both positive and negative reports of symptoms. The side effects reported with long term heavy use, that affects cognitive function include altered perceptions, difficulty problem solving, short term memory loss, impaired co-ordination, and a suboptimal ability to learn new information. Other negative effects reported include paranoia, labile mood, panic attacks, increased heart rate, palpitations, arrhythmias, increased appetite, nausea and vomiting. The high that cannabis provides is described as analgesic, with heightened sensory pleasure and a mild sedative effect. People use it for relaxation and often describe themselves as more talkative and giggly or alternatively subdued, quieter and mellow – the epitome of ‘chilled out’.
Socially, there are noticable side effects to taking cannabis long term. Research has shown that several “life-achievement measures” become impaired with heavy use; physical health, mental health, social life and career status. They may appear apathetic, lacking in energy, low in motivation and performing poorly at their work. Long term use is associated with a deterioration in mental health also as there is an increased risk of later developing psychotic illnesses including schizophrenia. Research undertaken at UCL, London has shown that cannabis strains high in levels of THC are more likely to lead to delusional thoughts and are more prone to bouts of psychosis, a severe mental health disorder where the individual is incapable of staying in contact with reality.
Classifying Spice as a Class B drug, alongside cannabis, will remove the supply and demand that Spice currently has, as the legal alternative to cannabis. One could ask whether it is just a move by the government to increase control over peoples’ choices. Arguably, whether this will force Spice into the streets and the hands of dealers – selling it as an apparent “safer” alternative to cannabis -remains to be seen.
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