Myth one: Legal highs aren't as strong as illegal drugs

True or false? FALSE

Nope. In fact, they're potentially more potent than illegal drugs - hence their new found popularity.  Illegal drugs such as cocaine or MDMA are usually mixed with all sorts of rubbish like caffeine pills and baking soda as they travel along the manufacturing line. But reports suggest synthetic legal highs can be purer and more potent because they're not cut with anything else. Even herbal highs pack a powerful punch. Salvia is so strong users have reported they actually believe they are a sofa or trapped in Facebook after taking it.

Myth two: Legal highs are safer

True or false? FALSE

This is one of the biggest misconceptions about legal highs. Just because they are technically legal, doesn't mean they are safe. It just means the powers-that-be haven't got round to legislating against the concoction of chemicals you've got clutched in your hand. New batches of legal highs are mixed up quickly to dodge new laws and haven't been tested for human consumption. So you're playing guinea pig. Not safe. Sorry.

Myth three: Legal highs are legal. Duh!

True and false? FALSE

"But they are called LEGAL highs," you cry. Surely legal is the key word here? But think. Do you really know what's in that packet? Have you done extensive laboratory tests on it? For all you know you've got an illegal substance there. Forensic tests on allegedly legal highs have shown some of them contain banned substances such as mephedrone. So you might think you're on the right side of the law, but ignorance isn't an excuse for possession if you're caught.

Myth four: Legal highs can kill you dead

True or false? TRUE

If media reports throughout 2009/10's mephedrone scare are to be believed, young people all over were dropping dead like flies after a mere sniff of meow meow. As a result, mephedrone was reclassified as a Class B drug. But since the hype died down, it's emerged that very few of the deaths related to the drug were actually cited as the cause of death. Don't get excited though. There is no way of telling how your body will respond to a substance. Plus mixing substances with medication, drugs or alcohol can be fatal.

Myth five: You can mix legal highs with alcohol

True or false? FALSE

No. Don't try. Please. Here's the science. Alcohol is a depressant. This means it slows down the nervous system which controls the heart and breathing rate. Mixing alcohol with any drug, including legal ones, can seriously upset your body. Mixing alcohol with another legal depressant could shut you down altogether. And combining alcohol with a legal stimulant isn't a terrific idea either. It can confuse your inner drunk-o-meter and lead you to consume an unhealthy and potentially lethal amount of alcohol.

Myth six: Legal drugs come from a less dodgy source

True or false? TRUE

Funnily enough, drugs and crime are closely linked. The illegal drugs industry is responsible for countless human atrocities including civil wars, kidnappings, executions and using people as drugs mules. So, okay, when you buy a legal high you're probably not buying into that system.

Most synthetic legal highs are made in China and sent legally into this country. However, this doesn't make legal high manufacturers candidates for outstanding citizen awards. They're still rather shady business people with an interest in profit, not well-being. After all, they're determinedly tweaking chemical formulas to dodge laws and mass-producing substances for human consumption without conducting any medical tests. So it's naive to assume the legal high industry is a squeaky clean one.

Myth seven: Legal highs are cheaper than illegal drugs

True or false? TRUE

The pricing of drugs works just like any other business. It's all to do with supply and demand. Supplying illegal drugs can be tricky and involves risky manoeuvres, dodging police raids and getting people to stuff things up private orifices. All this pushes the price up. With legal highs the process is simpler. Therefore supply is easier, demand is lesser and the cost is lower.

Myth eight: Legal highs are purer

True or false? TRUE

It's supply and demand again. Illegal drugs are scarcer, in demand, and therefore likely to be mixed with all sorts of nasties to stretch out the stock. So that rather expensive line may contain more caffeine than cocaine. There's less of a need to cut legal highs with so much crap.  But don't assume this makes them safer. It makes them stronger. So if you're snorting a 'legal line' you might not need to take as much and you put yourself at risk of overloading that wonderful body of yours.

Myth nine: It's easier to get the dosage right with legal highs

True or false? FALSE

They're not aspirins. They don't come with a recommended dosage printed on the label. Plus, they're largely unregulated and untested. What worked for Graham-from-the-pub might not work for you. There is no way of telling how a legal high will affect you and how much to take. Plus, with the chemicals constantly changing, even re-trying a legal high is like trying it for the first time.

Myth ten: With legal highs you know what you're getting

True or false? FALSE

Drug legislation is constantly changing. Therefore crafty legal high traders are constantly adapting their products to keep the law on side. So your new legal purchase might look the same and be packaged the same as your last dalliance, but it could be completely different. Legal highs are just as risky as plain old illegal drugs.

Updated: 28/03/2012

Holly Thompson