HSE issues warning on 'legal' highs

Drugs being sold as "legal" highs in headshops are all psychoactive substances - which mean they act on the central nervous system, altering how users think, feel, and behave, the HSE has warned this week.The HSE has launched a new campaign on the dangers of legal and illegal drugs, "Legal or illegal highs - they're anything but safe" and warns that all "highs - whether legal or illegal highs can cause paranoia; impotence; kidney failure; heart problems; seizures or death.The website www.drugs.ie has been updated to include new information in relation to the campaign and legal and illegal highs including information resources for young people and parents/guardians.The HSE Drugs Helpline on 1800 459 459 is also available to support the campaign.The HSE has stated that using these drugs can have a multitude of effects: they can make users confused, so they will be more likely to have an accident or take dangerous risks; they can cause anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia or even psychotic illnesses."Many are stimulants (uppers) which may stop you sleeping, leaving you exhausted and depressed later on,"The HSE advice continues, adding that the substances can be toxic to humans:"even 'natural' or 'herbal' substances can cause damage such as kidney failure, coma and death".There is an increased risk if legal or illegal highs are combined with alcohol or with any substance that causes a 'high'; including the risk of death.Other risks include reduced inhibitions, drowsiness, excited or paranoid states, coma, seizures, and death.Because these highs are often new and, in many cases, their chemical make-up is constantly changing, the risks are unpredictable and are often still being assessed.