Behind the scenes at one of Europe's only 'legal high' testing laboratory

Known to mimic the effects of illegal drugs, so-called legal highs are growing in popularity and scientists in Cardiff are warning users of the unexpected side effects they can cause.

Widely available online and often on the high street, legal highs - or psychoactive substances - have been found to have dangerous and sometimes lethal consequences.

There were 60 deaths linked to legal high use in England and Wales last year and they've been found to cause side effects similar to that of banned substances including nausea, suicidal thoughts, depression and violence.

In response to the growing trend, organisation the WEDINOS project (Welsh Emerging Drugs & Identification of Novel Substances) was set up in 2013 to help tackle the growing trend of new and emerging drugs.

Based at Llandough Hospital in Cardiff, the project accepts substance samples from anonymous users, nightclubs and police forces to test their make-up.

The user is asked to fill in a form with basic information and document the side effects experienced from taking the substance. The project then tests the sample and publishes its findings online for those using new psychoactive drugs or considering use.

Wedinos refers to itself as a harm reduction service and by publishing the contents of legal highs online, its aim is to inform and document to keep track on what is becoming available.

Due to the ongoing development, diversification and increased accessibility of the so-called 'legal highs' market, the project says it has been difficult for services working with users to identify and respond to risks.

One of the project's concerns is the increasing evidence in the cross over between the new psychoactive substance (NPS) drug market and the illicit drug market.

It's latest annual report showed 18% of psychoactive substances tested were found to contain illegal drugs.

33% of Steroid and/or Image Enhancing Drugs (SIED) samples analysed were found to be different from what they were believed to be at point of purchase.

Josie Smith, Programme and National Lead for Substance Misuse at Public Health Wales, said:

“New psychoactive substances coming onto the market in Wales pose a number of threats, with users at risk of acute physical, psychological and behavioural effects, as well as the potential for increased engagement with criminal justice services. Long-term risks associated with these drugs are also unknown.

“It’s important we provide accurate analysis along with pragmatic harm reduction information for users so they’re aware of all the risks.”

The project has received some criticism with claims the Wedinos website is open to abuse from those looking to test the purity of drugs, something which the Welsh Government, that supports the project rejects.

Watch the report from Kathryn Tresilian below: