N-Bombs or “Smiles” is a powerful synthetic hallucinogenic sold as an alternative to LSD.  N-Bombs have similar effects to LSD although users report more negative effects compared to classic psychedelics.

N-Bomb, discovered in 2003 by chemist Ralf Heim in Berlin, did not emerge as a common recreational drug until 2010.  N-Bomb effects usually last 6 to 10 hours, but effects can often last longer depending on dosage.

Potential adverse effects include high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythm, aggression, visual/auditory hallucinations, seizures, acute kidney failure, metabolic acidosis and death.

N-Bomb has been implicated in multiple deaths worldwide, most recently in Cork in January 2016, which left six teenagers hospitalised, one of whom later died.