ABSTRACT
New drugs, or discoveries of the potential to use existing substances as drugs, is a continuing theme in the history of drug taking. One recent development is the appearance of the ‘designer drugs’. Designer drugs are synthetic versions of commonly misused drugs: they are manufactured illegally, often in kitchen laboratories. Because they have been made by producing subtle changes in the molecular structure of drug types, they have often evaded the drugs laws (at least in the US). Some of the designer drugs have been of truly awesome potency. Some have carried equally awesome health risks.
