The chemical make-up of synthetic drugs is different to the illicit drugs they are designed to mimic. This difference in structure is what allows manufacturers to market them as legal. They are sold to people under the pretence of being safer and more acceptable than ‘regular’ drugs. Because of the uncertainty surrounding the contents of most synthetic drugs, it is difficult to know for sure what the long-term side effects can be. Most other illicit drugs contain the same active ingredients, and although they can sometimes be laced with other substances, their basic structure does not change.