What are legal drugs and what types are there?

A review of the groups of drugs that are currently legal.

In the psyche of most Spanish-speaking people, the term drug is associated with illegal substances: when we hear about drugs, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy or LSD are probably the first names that come to mind.

However, there are a large number of substances that fall into this type of classification and not all of them are illegal (although this does not mean that they are harmless, and their use or abuse can have serious consequences). What are legal drugs and what types are there? In this article we will discuss them.

Legal drug: basic concept

The concept of legal drug is easy to understand, but for this it is necessary first of all to remember what a drug is.

A drug is any substance, whether of natural or synthetic origin, with the capacity to alter or modify the nervous system. generate an alteration or modification in the nervous system.. It is therefore any substance that has a psychoactive effect. This definition does not take into account the legal consideration of the substance, although in a colloquial way we usually identify drugs with illegality.

Thus, legal drugs are those substances with psychoactive effects that are permitted, their use not being punishable by law despite their possible effects being known. This legal status may refer to their recreational use or to their being intended for other uses, which do not include their consumption to alter the psyche, and for which they are considered permitted.

Of course, as we indicated in the introduction, the fact that they are legal does not mean that they do not pose a danger, being the misuse and/or abuse of them very dangerous and harmful to health and can even cause serious illnesses or even death.

Types of legal drugs

There are many legal drugs that exist, and they can be used for different purposes by the population. Some use them as a recreational element, while in other cases consumers intend to benefit from relaxing or exciting effects of the substance in question or use them in order to forget or reduce some kind of physical or emotional pain. Among the so-called legal drugs, some of the best known are the following.

Alcohol

Probably the most widely used and socially accepted drug to the point of being part of a great variety of cultures. Alcohol or ethanol is a depressant-type substanceIt is consumed by all types of people, generally from adolescence onwards.

Initially it has a euphoric and relaxing effect, as well as in some people a certain disinhibition, but later the general tone decreases and symptoms such as blurred vision, hypotonia and muscle weakness or problems to focus attention or inhibit extreme emotional behaviors appear. Excessive and abusive consumption can lead to hypoglycemia, dizziness, vomiting, coma or even death..

It can also easily lead to dependence (especially due to its social acceptance), as well as potentially fatal withdrawal syndromes. Cirrhosis, renal and hepatic problems and even cognitive and functional deterioration in complications such as those produced by Korsakoff's syndrome following Wernicke's encephalopathy are common in alcoholics.

2. Nicotine

Tobacco is another of the most widely consumed drugs worldwide and, although the legislation of many countries prohibits smoking in certain places, the very fact of smoking or marketing nicotine products (especially tobacco) is not prohibited. It is a substance that may seem relaxing to experienced smokers, but is actually a psycho-stimulant. in reality it is a psychostimulant whose main mechanism of action is on acetylcholine.

If long-term smokers find it relaxing, it is because its long-term consumption ends up blocking this neurotransmitter. It generates a large number of problems, especially relevant being pulmonary (especially lung cancer and COPD) and cardiorespiratory.

We are dealing with a substance that generates dependence (in fact it is the main responsible for tobacco to generate physical dependence) and abstinence syndrome, as people who have tried to quit smoking will probably know.

3. The group of xanthines: caffeine, theobromine, theophylline

Although few people consider them as drugs, the truth is that they are substances that generate an alteration in the brain chemistry that effects on behavior, so that they can be so that they can be considered as such. They are substances with a stimulant effect, generally generating an increase in brain activation. However, their effects are much less than those of other substances, requiring large quantities to become dangerous.

Caffeine is probably the best known as such, being its consumption through coffee the most frequent. Although the existence of dependence is not usually considered as such, it is observed that for some people it is an addictive substance and to which the body generates tolerance, which can cause a certain abstinence syndrome. Intoxication is difficult to reach, but it is possible with massive consumption (after six cups of coffee it starts to be dangerous).

In addition to coffee, it must be taken into account that it can also be found in a large amount of soft drinks. can also be found in a large amount of soft drinks which, although perhaps to a lesser extent, also generate high levels of theobromine.

As for theobromine and theophylline, possibly few people know what we are referring to. However, these are components that are present in tea and chocolate and which generate an increase in cortical activation and energy levels..

4. Volatile substances

These are substances that are legal because their original use is not linked to the consumption or administration of the substance as such in the body. The name volatile is due to the fact that the route of administration is usually inhaled or aspirated. These are substances such as glue, gasoline, anesthetics, or ketoneswhich some people use in order to notice psychoactive effects, generally of a depressant type.

They are substances with low addictive potential, but prone to abuse that can cause serious damage to the liver, spine, musculature and nervous system, among others. They also facilitate the appearance of aggressive behavior.

5. Psychopharmaceuticals and other drugs

Psychotropic drugs, and in fact any type of drug, is a substance that can be considered a legal drug (not in vain drugs refer to both the concept of drug and drug) by generating an alteration in the patient's nervous system (in the case of other drugs not related to psychiatry, they alter the chemistry of other parts of the organism). In principle, the use of these drugs is the use of these drugs is medicinal, which is why they are legal.. However, many become dependent and in some cases they are even used either to try to enhance one's own abilities or recreationally.

Probably the most frequently used psychotropic drug in this sense are benzodiazepines, which are mainly used to treat anxiety. In their medical use, in principle, the doses used and the times employed are closely monitored, although many medical professionals prescribe them excessively and for longer than they should in principle be used. Other anxiolytics have also been abused due to their high addictive potential, such as the no longer so frequent barbiturates (which caused many deaths by overdose, such as that of Marilyn Monroe).

In addition, substances such as amphetamines or derivatives thereof, such as modafinil or adderall, are also used. Although their function and indication is to treat problems such as adhd or narcolepsy, they are sometimes used recreationally or even by students due to their stimulant properties and the supposed enhancement of the ability to concentrate and stay active. Also in this case they can generate serious health problems (including liver and coronary problems) and be highly addictive, being dangerous if used without medical control.

Other drugs that are not used as psychotropic drugs but that do generate addiction and dependence and are considered legal drugs are drugs such as steroids, morphine or codeine, or anesthetics such as phencyclidine. Steroids are also another substance that can be considered a legal drug; they are often abused in fields such as sports can have serious repercussions on health. As for morphine, it is an opium derivative used for pain treatment.

Codeine is a derivative of morphine, present in many syrups and medications. Both are opioids with depressant and relaxing effects that can lead to addiction and withdrawal, as well as intoxication. Finally, phencyclidine is a veterinary anesthetic with psychodysleptic effects that can cause perceptual disturbances, loss of sensitivity, aggressive behavior and even hallucinations.

All these drugs are legal in certain areas, some of them being readily available (e.g. anxiolytics) while others are only legal in very specific areas.

Differences between countries: the case of cannabis

So far we have talked about substances permitted in most parts of the world, whether for recreational or other purposes. However, it should be noted that the law is not the same in all parts of the world. Which drugs are considered legal or not will depend on the legislation of each country. One of the cases where we see this variability most is with cannabis, whose legal status varies greatly in different countries around the world. around the world.

The best known case is the Netherlands, which allows the purchase and consumption of cannabis in coffeeshops. Also in Washington and Colorado, in the United States, or in Uruguay its recreational use is allowed (although with restrictions). In other countries, including our own, consumption is decriminalized as long as it takes place in private places. Consumption in public, however, is prohibited and illegal.. So is cultivation, and obviously so is its sale and distribution.

Likewise, other substances have changed their legal status in certain countries. In the United States, for example, the sale of alcohol was illegal during the so-called Prohibition. Alcohol is also banned in some Muslim countries for religious reasons, although in other countries it is permitted by law.

Fake legal drugs: "legal highs".

A separate mention deserves a type of recreational substances that although they are sold as legal in reality what they do is to take advantage of the legal vacuum that generates the little knowledge about them or because they are so recent that it has not yet given time to be banned. they have not yet had time to be banned..

These are drugs that are due to be regulated, and in many cases prohibited, and they take advantage of the slowness of the administrations to establish laws or regulations to pass themselves off as legal. In reality, they would be in a situation of alegality: the legislation does not yet contemplate them. This is due to a kind of escalation or competition: as specific drugs are banned and prosecuted, others are created that take advantage of legal loopholes.

In addition, they take advantage of this lawlessness to sell more: they claim to be legal, which leads the consumer to believe that the danger makes the consumer believe that the danger is minimal. Sin embargo en muchos casos no se conocen sus efectos psicoactivos y muchas de ellas tienen efectos devastadores en quienes las consumen. Por ejemplo, la conocida droga caníbal o krokodil fueron en su momento alegales, creadas como intento de sustituto de la ya perseguida heroína.

Referencias bibliográficas:

• Gahlinger, P.M. (2001). Illegal Drugs: A Complete Guide to Their History, Chemistry, Use and Abuse. Sagebrush Press (UT).
• Fox, Thomas Peter; Oliver, Govind; Ellis, Sophie Marie (2013). "The Destructive Capacity of Drug Abuse: An Overview Exploring the Harmful Potential of Drug Abuse Both to the Individual and to Society". ISRN Addiction. 2013: pp. 1 - 6.
• Teale P, Scarth J, Hudson S (2012). "Impact of the emergence of designer drugs upon sports doping testing". Bioanalysis. 4 (1): pp. 71 - 88.