Moves on banning legal highs welcomed

The Upper Bann MP welcomed the commitment by the Government given in the Queen’s Speech to legislate for a ban. The DUP manifesto for the General Election called for action to be taken.

He said, “Following correspondence from the DUP Health Minister in 2014 a Home Office Expert Panel Review was instigated which brought forward several key recommendations to deal with these so-called ‘legal highs’.

“We have been working at both Stormont and Westminster to secure stronger laws governing these dangerous and damaging subjects. I am delighted that the Government has committed to bringing forward legislation to tackle these psychoactive substances.

“This will undoubtedly be a complex area in which to bring forward legislation and there will always be those who will attempt to circumvent the law in order to peddle these potentially lethal substances.

“We have also seen the dangers from prescription medications recently through an online trend dubbed the “paracetamol challenge” which has been circulating on social media encouraging young people to take excessive amounts of the drug.

“I look forward to examining in more detail the proposals on psychoactive substances that will be brought forward by the Government. However the commitment to legislate provide us with the opportunity to take action and help prevent some of the damage done by these drugs.”

Last month the Public Health Agency (PHA) issued a warning over legal highs following reports of a small number of users being hospitalised. One Lurgan girl almost lost her life in a recent case of an adverse reactive to a substance.