Izlaganje sa skupa
UNDERSTANDING THE PREVALENCE OF ‘LEGAL HIGH’ MISUSE IN EARLY ADULTHOOD
Benedict Morris
; Queens College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Sažetak
With the recent introduction of the Psychoactive Substances Bill in the United Kingdom, it is a useful time to retrospectively
review the patterns of prevalence of the psychoactive products known as ‘Legal Highs’. There has been emerging research and
rapidly expanding political, public and media attention and awareness, yet comparatively little scientific discourse on the
psychological aspects driving their consumption, beyond simply their legal status. This paper focuses on their usage patterns in the
particularly vulnerable, but often-neglected period of young adulthood between the ages of 16-24, focussing on their prevalence,
trends in pharmacology and psychological aspects of their usage and propensity for addiction. There is a greater skew of usage to
young adulthood in legal highs than that seen in classical drugs of abuse. Although there are still significant research questions to be
tackled, it is suggested that the interaction of legal high incentive value and their perception with aspects of enhanced risk taking in
young adulthood, particularly impulsivity and sensation seeking, are of key significance, as opposed to any clear pharmacological
mechanism for differing prevalence. While there is much further research to be performed on the contents and pharmacology of legal
highs, the reasons for potentially lower levels of addiction are also discussed.
Ključne riječi
Legal Highs; novel psychoactive substances; NPS; risk taking; young adulthood; addiction
Hrčak ID:
264880
URI
Datum izdavanja:
30.8.2016.
Posjeta: 250 *