UK - Children in danger as 40 ‘legal highs’ flood the streets

[edgarshade]

Yorkshire Post

Published on Tuesday 16 October 2012 06:00

With reader comments

UP TO 40 new dangerous legal highs have flooded into Yorkshire in the past year alone with hundreds now on the streets and children as young as 14 being hospitalised for taking them. Law enforcement agencies have admitted dealers are now using legal highs to get youngsters hooked on Class A drugs, while there is an emerging culture of the substances being taken into schools similar to “smoking behind the bike sheds” 30 years ago. With factories in China and India churning out the drugs – stimulants with their chemical compounds constantly tweaked to avoid being defined as illegal – at an unprecedented rate to fuel the now multi-million pound market, new calls are being made today to tackle the spiralling problem.

West Yorkshire Police’s drugs co-ordinator Bryan Dent, said many of the legal highs are now being professionally packaged to attract teenage users. “There is no doubt about it, they are being marketed to an increasingly younger market,” he said. “I would describe it as significant amounts coming in and significant amounts of value. You can order these chemicals from Shanghai and they will be with you in a couple of days. The people who make them don’t give a damn how much you take or what happens to you. We might be reaching a situation where legal highs are as attractive as tobacco these days for youngsters. I am aware of a small number of schools where legal high substances have been found. I’m sure there will be others that we don’t know about. Smoking cigarettes when you are young will make you a bit sick and give you a cough. They do not have the mental health issues of these substances which are designed to play with your mind."

Yesterday, the final report of the UK Drug Policy Commission called for a “wholesale review” of drugs laws due to the rapid creation of new legal highs. It follows a stark warning last month from Tim Hollis, the Chief Constable of Humberside Police and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) lead on drugs, who told the Yorkshire Post the explosion in legal highs means the “rivets are now rattling” on the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act.

However, critics – including senior officers – have said as the drugs are constantly changing in chemical make-up, it is difficult to identify particular substances as another version will soon be available either online or from dealers. A national campaign against legal highs is being launched today by the father of singer Amy Winehouse, who died last year following a battle with drink and drugs.

More...
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news...as-40-legal-highs-flood-the-streets-1-5028201

 

[Cambo]

I was always under the impression that smoking when you are young was worse/as bad as an adult, now I know it will only cause a cough. Smokes for everybody!

 

[NeighborhoodThreat]

What does Amy Winehouse have to do with RCs/designer drugs? I've always hated the term "legal highs" as well 8)

 

[Chesh]

I was always under the impression that smoking when you are young was worse/as bad as an adult, now I know it will only cause a cough. Smokes for everybody!

I think he means if you smoke during your teens and stop you'll be fine. But if you heavily abuse stimulant RCs because they're legal and you think they're safe your mind will most likely be fucked for a bit.

 

[edgarshade]

What does Amy Winehouse have to do with RCs/designer drugs? I've always hated the term "legal highs" as well 8)

Her Dad is on a crusade against them to "educate" children. I saw a video he was involved in producing and it was 100% refer madness applied to legal highs.

 

[Albion]

Smoking cigarettes when you are young will make you a bit sick and give you a cough. They do not have the mental health issues of these substances which are designed to play with your mind.

Hmmm, yes well...true, but...


I don't know why he's brought tobacco into this at all, let alone effectively saying that smoking is preferable to taking 'legal highs'...He doesn't know how dangerous these drugs are, he's not qualified to make that statement.

By the way,

Dealers are now using legal highs to get youngsters hooked on Class A drugs

How much truth is in this (going on personal experience)? I live in the UK and haven't really seen anything suggesting this to be the case. Some dealers often include popular RC's in their arsenal but it's because there's a demand for the drug...Not child baiting.

 

[lynx2051]

Piece of shits are probably gonna ban all synthetic cannabinoids. They're the only decent RC's out at the moment!

 

[szuko000]

I hate when parents go on these crusades, as it that is what their child would want. I saw one where some kid killed himself after taking salvia or should I say after he experienced it because he was depressed. He wrote a letter saying not to blame the drugs and his parents went on to force a bill banning it in their state in his honor. Yes that's exactly how he wanted to be remembered. My point is parents who do this do not have their kids memory or ideals in mind.

And Amy winehouse was like 28 and an alcoholic above all else, not an RC user. The father is polluting her memory.

This is sad they can not control this and all this talk of children is sickening. If you are so worried about your kids fucking educate them, or beat them. Don't blame china.