Tag Archive for nps

Spice zombies and the return of the drug fiend

The current fashion for linking spice users to supernatural horrors is the latest chapter in the stigmatisation of high risk drug users. By Harry Shapiro I was preparing my presentation on spice for the recent HIT Hot Topics conference. I’d…

Psychoactive Substances Act 2016

Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 The Psychoactive Substances Act received Royal Assent on 28 January 2016. The act applies across the UK and came into force on 26 May 2016. Possession for personal use is not an offence, unless in prison. The act:…

When one door closes…

The Psychoactive Substances Act shut down many head shops and other retail outlets selling NPS. But the problem of Spice-type synthetic cannabinoids seems to be growing among the nation’s homeless and other vulnerable groups. Should the door now open on…

New psychoactive substances

Designer drugs, legal highs, NPS, novel psychoactive substances, research chemicals What are New Psychoactive Substances? New psychoactive substances (NPS) are drugs which were designed to replicate the effects of illegal substances like cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy whilst remaining legal – hence…