‘Legal or illegal highs’, ‘head shop or herbal highs’ are names given to psychoactive substances (drugs) that may be on sale in Ireland through shops that sell drug-related products (head shops, hemp shops) and other shops such as sex shops or tattoo parlours. They can also be bought on the internet. These drugs are sold as alternatives to drugs such as cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine, LSD, amphetamines and heroin.

There are several hundred types of these drugs, that we know of, available.
These include drugs that act as:
• sedatives (downers),
• stimulants (uppers),
• hallucinogens (trips), and
• aphrodisiacs (sexual stimulants).

Some are herbal meaning they come from a plant. Others are synthetic, meaning they are man-made from chemicals. Most are a mixture of both herbal and synthetic products.

These drugs are all psychoactive substances, that means they alter how you think, feel and behave. Their effect on physical and mental health is unpredictable and there is a risk of becoming addicted.