Chemicals of consequence

0917CW - Editorial - Legal high packet on table - Index

Source: Packet © Royal Society of Chemistry / Background © iStock

Drug misuse is a complex issue, with no easy answers 

Chemistry is constantly changing the world. Chemists design and synthesise new molecules and materials, and as they go off into the world and interact with each other, they shape our lives and our environment; our culture and our society. The rise of legal highs shows how the interdependence of chemistry and culture has effects that can be difficult to predict, and that there are no easy answers to the questions it poses.