Designer DrugsWhat Are Designer Drugs?Designer drugs are new drugs based on altering the chemical structure of an already existing drug. No need to start from scratch, just take an existing drug and make changes to its chemical structure. For example, if a chemist were to make changes to the chemical structure of amphetamine (picture 1), they could synthesize ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, phenylalanine (pictured below). Amphetamine Ephedrine  Pseudoephedrine  Phenylalanine  These new drugs, based on a slight modification of the chemical structure of amphetamine, would be called designer drugs (technically called analogues by scientists). Change the chemical structure of a known drug (parent), and some of these new drugs (analogues or children) will have the same or similar actions as the original parent drug. In the past, drug laws in most countries were based on the chemical structure of a particular substance. Since designer drugs do not have the exact same chemical structure as an illegal parent drug, they were not illegal. More recently, laws have been updated so designer drugs are now banned in the USA, UK, and other countries. Related Books Drug Identification: Designer and Club Drugs... Synthetic Panics: The Symbolic Politics of Designer Drugs Accurate and not biased, it includes the stories behind various drug panics like: Speed Kills, The PCP Crisis, Ecstasy, The CAT Attack, Redneck Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Rave Drugs and Rape Drugs, and more. |