Legal high: what it is, and why the term is misleading
By the Golden High teamUpdated 19 October 20269 min read
Novel cannabinoids
A legal high is a psychoactive product sold as legal because its molecule isn't (yet) on the list of controlled drugs. In the vast majority of cases, these are new psychoactive substances made in a lab, often far less predictable than the drugs they imitate. Here's what the term really covers, why it's misleading, and how to tell a trustworthy shop from a "research chemicals" seller.
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Legal high: a marketing label, not a legal category.
The phrase doesn't match any legal category: it's a sales pitch. Authorities talk about new psychoactive substances (NPS). The OFDT, the French drugs observatory, defines them as new narcotic or psychotropic substances not controlled by the UN conventions, but which carry risks comparable to conventional drugs.
Under the same umbrella, the OFDT lists several names: legal highs, research chemicals (sold with the label "not for human consumption"), or brand names such as "PTC" (French slang, roughly "blow your skull"), "Mad Hatter" or "Buddha Blues".
- What it means: the molecule isn't on the controlled drugs list yet.
- What it doesn't mean: that it's been tested, properly dosed or safe.
- Main families in France: synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones, according to the OFDT.
- Main sales channel: the internet, often with colourful marketing.
Why the term misleads
Legal today, banned tomorrow.
The legal high business model relies on a time lag: a lab slightly tweaks a banned molecule, the new version slips through the list, and it sells until the authorities class it in turn. Then another one takes over. The European drugs agency (EUDA) was monitoring around 1,000 new substances at the end of 2024, including 47 spotted for the first time in Europe that year.
26 May 2016
The UK brings the Psychoactive Substances Act into force: producing, selling, importing and exporting psychoactive substances intended for human consumption becomes punishable by up to 7 years in prison.
13 June 2023
In France, HHC, HHC-O and HHC-P, long sold as legal, are classed as controlled drugs by the ANSM (the French medicines agency).
3 June 2024
In France, the ANSM lists in one go the entire family of cannabinoids with a benzo[c]chromene core (H4-CBD, H2-CBD, HHCPO, THCP, THCA…) and several synthetic cannabinoids.
Classing "by family" changes the game: tweaking one atom is no longer enough to get off the list. That's what happened to HHC, as we explain in What is HHC and why it's banned.
Key takeaway: "legal high" describes a temporary status, not a guarantee. A product bought as "legal" may contain a molecule that has since been classed, or a different one from what's on the label.
What the sources say
What the authorities see on the ground.
French and European health agencies have spent years documenting what happens to these products once they hit the market. Full references at the bottom of the page.
EUDA · European Drug Report 2025
Around 1,000 new psychoactive substances monitored at the end of 2024, including 47 reported for the first time in Europe in 2024. Synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabinoids are among the families being tracked.
OFDT · state of knowledge
209 new synthetic cannabinoids detected in Europe since 2008. Risks of acute poisoning: racing heart, seizures, hallucinations, anxiety; in the long run, tolerance and dependence.
ANSM · February 2025
Warning about vaping psychoactive substances such as PTC: psychiatric, neurological (coma, seizures) and cardiovascular complications, with new hospital admissions of teenagers in France in 2024.
ANSM · June 2025
Several hundred poisonings in France since early 2024 involving products sold as CBD that actually contained synthetic cannabinoids (HHC, HHC-O, H4-CBD, MDMB-PINACA) or too much THC. The stated composition often didn't match the contents.
The common thread: the danger doesn't just come from the molecule, but from the gap between the label and the contents. That's exactly what separates a controlled product from a "research chemical".
Telling them apart
Controlled product, research chemical, controlled drug: three different worlds.
| Controlled hemp product | Research chemical / legal high | Classed controlled drug | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Examples | Flowers, resins, pods under 0.3% THC | PTC, synthetic cannabinoids like ADB-Pinaca, derivatives not yet classed | THC above the threshold, HHC, THCP, H4-CBD… |
| Composition | Strength displayed, lab analysis | Often unknown or different from the label | Varies by source |
| Status in France | Regulated sale, under 0.3% THC | Temporary, until the next classification | Banned |
| What you can check | Strength, certificate of analysis, identified seller | Next to nothing | Nothing |
Synthetic cannabinoids deserve a special mention. They're often sprayed onto plant material or diluted in e-liquids, and their effects can be far more violent than cannabis, according to the health alerts quoted above. We've written a whole article on one of the most widespread: ADB-Pinaca, the lab-made cannabinoid that has nothing to do with what you smoke.
The risks
Why research chemicals are so risky.
- No human data. A molecule that left a lab yesterday has, by definition, never been studied in people who use it.
- Random dosing. Drogues Info Service, the French public drug information service, reports that products sold as PTC vary in composition, some being "very strong".
- False labels. The ANSM notes that the stated composition often doesn't match the real contents.
- Severe effects. Seizures, racing heart, hallucinations, panic attacks, and for PTC a dependence that Drogues Info Service describes as stronger than with cannabis.
- A legal risk. The product can be classed overnight, without the packaging changing.
If you feel unwell after a product like this: stop straight away and, if there are serious signs, call 112, the European emergency number (in France, 15 also reaches the SAMU). Keep the packaging for the emergency services.
Legal high shop
Legal high shop: how to spot a trustworthy seller.
Search for "legal high shop" or "buy legal highs" and you'll find just about anything. A trustworthy shop isn't recognised by its vocabulary ("get wasted", "legal", "powerful"), but by what it lets you check.
The displayed strength
Every product states its cannabinoid content and stays under 0.3% THC, the threshold set in France for hemp products.
The analysis
Every batch can be traced to a lab analysis. No analysis, no purchase.
An identified seller
Full legal notice, an identifiable company, a customer service you can actually reach, sales to adults only.
- Be wary of "100% legal guaranteed" promises: no shop can guarantee where regulation will go.
- Be wary of health claims (sleep, pain, anxiety): a hemp product sold in a shop is not a medicine.
- Steer clear of products sold as "not for human consumption", "for research" or "incense": that's the signature of research chemicals.
- Steer clear of already-classed molecules sold under a new name: HHC, THCP, H4-CBD and the like are controlled drugs in France.
For an overview of what's actually sold in France, read our article on legal weed in France, and to compare strengths, our ranking of the strongest-hitting CBD.
Our approach
What we sell, and what we refuse to sell.
Golden High doesn't sell research chemicals. Our Delta-P range is based on CBDX, under 0.3% THC, and every product is lab-tested, with its strength shown on the product page. The full story of what Delta-P is lives on our dedicated page.
If you're new to the range, our Delta-P packs are the easiest way to compare several strains, like the Pack High and its 3 strains. Start with a moderate strength and a small amount, and leave time between uses. Adults only, never before driving.
Your questions
What people ask us about legal highs.
What is a legal high?
A psychoactive product sold as legal because its molecule hasn't yet been classed as a controlled drug. Authorities call them new psychoactive substances (NPS). It isn't a legal category but a sales pitch.
Are legal highs legal in France?
Only as long as their molecule isn't classed, which can change overnight. France now classes entire families of molecules, such as cannabinoids with a benzo[c]chromene core since 3 June 2024.
What's the difference between a legal high and a research chemical?
Both terms often refer to the same products. "Research chemical" leans on the label "for research, not for human consumption", used to get around regulation.
Is PTC a legal high?
Yes, it's a synthetic cannabinoid sold mainly as an e-liquid. In 2025 the ANSM warned about teenagers being hospitalised in France after vaping it.
Where can you buy a legal high safely?
No research chemical is safe, given the lack of studies and controls. If you're looking for hemp products, choose a shop that displays its strengths, stays under 0.3% THC, provides lab analyses and only sells to adults.
Are Delta-P products legal highs?
No. Delta-P is our CBDX-based range, under 0.3% THC, lab-tested, with the strength shown on every product. It's neither a research chemical nor a classed molecule.
Why did the UK ban legal highs?
To get out of the cat-and-mouse game. The Psychoactive Substances Act, in force since 26 May 2016, bans the production and sale of any psychoactive substance intended for human consumption, with some exceptions.
Sources
The references cited in this article.
- OFDT. Nouveaux produits de synthèse – Synthèse des connaissances (in French).
- EUDA (2025). New psychoactive substances – the current situation in Europe (European Drug Report 2025).
- GOV.UK (2016). Landmark law to tackle legal highs commences later this month.
- ANSM (2024). L'ANSM inscrit de nouveaux cannabinoïdes sur la liste des stupéfiants (in French).
- ANSM (2025). Augmentation des intoxications causées par des produits à base de CBD contenant d'autres substances (in French).
- ANSM (2025). Vapotage de substances psychoactives (hors nicotine) : des pratiques plus risquées qu'on ne le pense (in French).
- Drogues Info Service (2024). Le PTC ou Pète ton crâne, des cannabinoïdes inquiétants (in French).
