Illegal highs

GLASSY-EYED young men stumbling through the streets is not an unusual sight in Newcastle, a city well known for its partying. But in recent years an increasing number have been worse for wear due to 'legal highs''drugs freely available in so-called 'head shops', newsagents and takeaways, which mimic the effects of illicit narcotics while falling outside current drugs laws. After May 26th, however, the government is hoping that will change, as it has passed the Psychoactive Substances Act banning such drugs and giving authorities the power to imprison suppliers for up to seven years. Like many drugs laws, it has proved controversial.According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), an EU agency, the use of legal highs, also called new psychoactive substances (NPS), has increased greatly across Europe, with two original substances detected every week. The north-east of England has felt the brunt of it. It has the highest death rate from drug misuse in England, nearly three times that of London. Newcastle has the country's highest proportion of people accessing drug-treatment services for addiction to...Continue reading
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