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Abstract
This article describes the findings of a descriptive analysis of 27 online drug retailers selling legal alternatives to illegal drugs, commonly referred to as “herbal highs” and “legal highs” in Citation. The study attempted to quantify the online availability of drug retailers, to describe common products and characteristics in EU-based retail sales. The findings highlight the concern about the lack of objective information about products offered, including potential risks to health. Systems should be developed to assess the contents of products and the accuracy of information provided on the Internet, alongside continued monitoring of this market for “legal high” substances.
RÉSUMÉ
Legal highs s``ur l'Internet
Cet article décrit les résultats d’une analyse descriptive, menée en Citation, de 27 boutiques de drogues en ligne proposant des alternatives légales aux drogues illégales, généralement dénommées herbal highśś et legal highs``. L’étude a essayé de mesurer la disponibilité en ligne des boutiques de drogues, de décrire les produits et les caractéristiques communes de ce type de ventes au détail basées dans l’UE. Les résultats attirent l’attention sur le manque d’informations objectives sur les produits offerts, et sur les risques potentiels pour la santé. Des systèmes devraient être développés pour examiner le contenu des produits et l’exactitude de l’information diffusée sur l’Internet, simultanément à la surveillance continue de ce marché des substances” legal highśś.
RESUMEN
Legal highs`` en Internet
Este artículo describe los resultados de un análisis descriptivo en Citation de 27 minoristas de droga en línea que venden alternativas legales a las drogas ilegales, conocidas comúnmente como herbal highśśy legal highs``. El estudio intentó cuantificar la disponibilidad en línea de los minoristas de droga, para describir productos comunes y características de las ventas al por menor basadas en la UE. Los resultados destacan la preocupación por la falta de información objetiva de los productos ofrecidos, incluyendo potenciales riesgos para la salud. Los sistemas se deben desarrollar para determinar el contenido de productos y la exactitud de la información proporcionada en Internet, junto a la supervisión continua de este mercado para las sustancias legal highs``.
THE AUTHORS
Jennifer Hillebrand, M.A., M.Sc., works as a scientific analyst in the interventions, law and policies unit at the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). She received M.A. in Psychology from the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany and a Master's in Clinical and Public Aspects of Addiction from Kings College, London, UK. Her special interests are qualitative methods and emerging drug trends as well as best practices in drug demand reduction.
Deborah A. Olszewski, M.Sc., is a senior scientific analyst in the Department of Epidemiology at the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) in Lisbon, Portugal. Her main areas of responsibility are in prevalence and patterns of drug use in general and school populations in the EU and in developing methods for detecting, tracking, and understanding emerging drug trends. She is a trained medical sociologist and has previous work experience in the UK health service and academic research in both the United Kingdom and Italy, specializing in information for patients and social research in the fields of health and drug problems.
Roumen Sedefov, MD, is the Head of Sector Action on dew drugs at the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), where he is responsible for the implementation of the EU early-warning system on new psychoactive substances. His interest is mainly in the field of risk assessment of new drugs and the use of forensic analysis and toxicology data to bridge the knowledge gap between the findings of quantitative indicators and qualitative (including Internet) studies and the substances used in reality.