ISSUES
: Drugs
Chapter 1: Drug issues
9
A legal substance does not equal to a
safe substance
Carole Fox of Sifa Fireside looks at this issue, which is having an increasing impact on
homelessness services and the people they support.
A
s an agency experienced
in supporting people with
complex needs as a result
of alcohol, substance misuse and
mental health issues, our team have
the skills to address certain types
of behaviour. However, around two
years ago we began to notice a
distinct change in the behaviour of
the people accessing our service.
Fromchattingwith clients it started to
emerge that this pronounced change
was down to the use of ‘legal highs’.
This became even more of an issue
when those who had traditionally
used Class A substances and/or
alcohol began to combine legal and
illegal substances.
What are ‘legal highs’?
These substances combine a range
of chemicals that produce effects
similar to illegal drugs like ecstasy,
cocaine and marijuana. They are
often marketed as plant food or
bath salts, and the wide range of
ingredients used means it is almost
impossible for users to know exactly
what they are taking and the damage
it may cause.
What are the effects?
The physical reaction to these
substances is often dramatic. When
a client has used legal highs there
is a possibility that they will ‘drop
like a stone’ to the floor and their
complexion will take on a green
and yellowish tone. On occasion
they have also appeared extremely
psychotic, and we’ve even had one
incident in which a client stopped
breathing and staff had to administer
first aid to resuscitate him whilst
waiting for the ambulance.
Why so popular?
The current appeal of legal highs
is primarily based on cost, ease of
accessibility and, perhaps most
importantly, legality. These products
are extremely cheap and can be
bought over the counter on the
high street from ‘head shops’, no
questions asked.
This means that users don’t have
to rely on dealers and the risks
that go along with this, and there
is nothing the police can do if
they are found to have a legal high
substance on them.
One of the biggest dangers is
in users interpreting a ‘legal’
substance as being a ‘safe’
substance, which we know is far
from the truth. There is also often a
misconception that these products
are not very strong, so users
consume large amounts to achieve
the desired effect. They are often
cut with chemicals that are not
safe for human consumption and,
worryingly, are more likely to be
used for other purposes, like
industrial cleaning.
What can homelessness
agencies do?
Our drop-in service was becoming
increasingly difficult to manage as a
result, so I decided that I needed to
know more and attended a training
course to gain better insight and
awareness of the issue. Following
this, our alcohol recovery worker
and training manager devised a
briefing that could be rolled out to
staff, clients and volunteers.
We now offer a specialist training
session which gives an overview
of the legal highs market, the
potential effect on users and
practical advice on working with
these clients.
What should be done to
tackle this issue?
I believe much more awareness
and information of the effects and
impact of legal highs is needed.
I would like to see more done to
outlaw these substances, but until
then we need greater education
and specialist advice.
Despite how it is often perceived,
this is not simply a ‘night clubbing’
issue. In many cases, the ease of
access to legal highs is legitimising
the destructive behaviours and
patterns of abuse that have led
people into homelessness, and
blocking their journey to recovery.
For example, one client advised
me that he is on licence and whilst
he would be in serious trouble of
going back to prison if he was in
possession of illegal substances,
there is nothing the police can do
about him consuming legal highs.
This client has been hospitalised
twice in the last six weeks.
As a support agency we have
delivered awareness sessions
for clients and advised them
clearly that legal highs cannot be
consumed on our premises. We
have also warned clients about
sharing cigarettes as there have
been several incidences of people
unwittingly smoking a legal high.
We have had to deal with people
collapsing, call an ambulance for
a client who became psychotic
and perform CPR on another
who collapsed in the drop-in
and stopped breathing. These
individuals were the lucky ones,
because we were able to help. But
if the use of legal highs continues
to grow in popularity, deaths as
a result of their use may become
increasingly common.
17 November 2014
Ö
Ö
The above information is
reprinted with kind permission
from Homeless Link. Please
visit
for
further information.
© Homeless Link 2016
