Psychoactive Substances Harm The Well- Being Of Our...

Psychoactive substances harm the well- being of our society creating the need for implementation of an effective policy response. The Psychoactive Substances Act was implemented in 2013 due to a number of concerns being raised from the general public and Health officials about the effects of that synthetic substances were having on the people who were using them as well as their communities. Another concern raised was the unknown ingredients that the â€Å"legal highs† were being made from. These concerns have seen the push for more information about these substances and what services are available for people who choose to use these substances. The people who work in this field need to have an understanding of the legal highs as well as why people take them in addition to the effects that it has on their person’s mental health and their context. These people also employ the usage of tools as methadone maintenance treatment and treatment options that can focus on abstine nce or harm reduction. Although, it is a legislation, various regional councils have implemented this through a number of different methods within their communities to minimise the harm that the synthetic substances can cause. The Psychoactive Substances Act was implemented in 2013 after New Zealand saw a rise in the availability and misuse of psychoactive substances that were freely available as they were deemed legal (Ministry of Health a, 2015). This lead to the wider public calling these products â€Å"legal highs†