The Benzo Blogs

The Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 is an Act of UK Parliament introduced under Theresa May’s government in an attempt to restrict the production, sale, and supply of novel psychoactive substances (NPS). NPS – also known as designer drugs, research chemicals or legal highs –, emerged in the mid-2000s. These new drugs, often compounds that were never marketed for medical use, were popularised for recreational use as they avoided criminalisation as outlined in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, which placed sanctions on individual substances such as MDMA. An amendment to this Act in 2017 placed several NPS, including 16 designer benzodiazepines, into Class C.

​Substance use among Icelandic teens was one of the highest in Europe 20 years ago. According to a survey conducted in 1992, nearly a quarter of Icelandic teens smoked every day, and over 40 percent of teens had been intoxicated in the past month. These issues can lead to many grave consequences for teens, such as dropout rates increasing, decline in mental health, and the increase in road accidents. Due to these adverse after effects, the Icelandic government increased their efforts to help teens avoid using harmful substances.

Benzodiazepines, also known as ‘benzos’, ‘Blues’, ‘BZDs’, exist today in about 20 different forms. The first benzodiazepine was synthesised in 1955 by the Hoffman-La Roche laboratory within decades becoming one of the most prescribed drugs in the world. Around 16 million prescriptions for benzos are issued yearly in the UK, and the UK is also the second-largest buyer of Xanax (a type of benzo) from the dark web.

We will discuss benzo pharmacology, the harms associated with their misuse, and potential reasons for benzo abuse with young people in the UK. We will then introduce the Benzo Research Project, a project working to highlight the voices of those who have experiences with non-prescribed benzo use.

Minor tranquilisers are a class of medication known for their anti-anxiety effects. Miltown, the first of these prescription anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) drugs, quickly became a commercial success upon its debut in 1955. 

In an attempt to replicate Miltown’s success, Hoffman La-Roche developed the benzodiazepines; a class of compounds invented by chemist Leo Sternbach in the 1950s. Within a decade, the pharmaceutical giant brought the first two benzodiazepines – Librium (chlordiazepoxide) and Valium (diazepam) – to the market. 

Previously reserved for the insane asylums of yesteryear, the invention of minor tranquillisers brought psychiatric treatment from specialist psychiatry clinics into general practice. Two decades after Hollywood embraced the “don’t-give-a-darn pills”, Valium became the single most prescribed medication in the United States. 

Though pharmaceutical companies and physicians alike were initially blind-sighted by the minor tranquilliser craze, the public’s warm embrace of prescription anxiolytics marked a paradigm shift in psychiatry. 

If you’re from the UK or US, you’ve most likely heard of benzodiazepines, or ‘benzos’ for short. They’re commonly used as a form of tranquilliser in medical fields for treating anxiety and sleep disorders. When prescribed by medical professionals and taken correctly, benzos such as diazepam can be lifesavers for individuals experiencing anxiety attacks or dealing with heightened levels of general stress. ​