Medical experts have warned it is only "a matter of time" before legal highs kill a young person in Lincolnshire. Four people including a 14-year-old have been taken ill in the last two weeks after taking the substances, which are sold over the counter and have names like Evolution, Annihilation and White mm.
Schools have complained to police about several pupils regularly being "out of it" for 48-hour periods over the weekend and then falling asleep in class on Monday. Police say last New Year's Eve they received a spike in reports of youngsters suffering from palpitations, racing hearts, breathing difficulties, panic and paranoia. Ahead of this year's celebrations, Tony McGinty, assistant director of public health in Lincolnshire, said it is only a matter of time before someone dies in the county from taking legal highs. He added: "The chemical constitution of these products is often small variations on previously banned substances – and their effect, as with all drugs, varies significantly from person to person. "Every individual who uses these substances, regardless of the effects they may have witnessed on others, is playing Russian roulette – especially if they are mixing them with alcohol and other drugs."
Detective Inspector Simon Lovett said: "We cannot underestimate the seriousness of this issue. "This is poison being mixed by people who have no idea what's in it or what it will do to the young people who ingest it. It is vital that parents have an awareness of this issue and make every effort to educate their children on the dangers."
