Six people across Tayside charged under ‘legal high’ laws

Six people have been charged under new legislation designed to stop the sale of so-called legal highs across Tayside, it has been revealed.

The UK Government introduced the Psychoactive Substances Act in 2016 to ban a host of drugs that had previously been available for sale over the counter, including in several shops locally.

The move means anyone caught trying to sell the drugs or import them for sale faces criminal action.

Since the act came into force in May last year, officers in Tayside division have charged six individuals with crimes linked to new psychoactive substances (NPS).

The new crime figures emerged after it was revealed that 31 people have died from drug use since April in Dundee alone – with etizolam, one of the drugs outlawed in 2016, found in the systems of 17 of them.

Between May last year and August this year, a 44-year-old man was charged with having derivatives of the substance cannabinol, which is similar to cannabis.

A 51-year-old man and a woman aged 49 were charged after allegedly being found with 27 packets of “spice”, 10 packets of “Fiji”, 30 packs of “black mamba”, 10 packs of “regenisis”, 26 packs of “blue cheese”, 27 packets of “loop”, three packets of “spun out” and 19 packets of “genesis”.

Critics have claimed drugs such as etizolam are still cheap and easy to come by.

However, Dundee councillor Georgia Cruickshank, who campaigned for the closure of ‘legal high’ shops in the city before last May’s act was introduced, said the latest figures were “encouraging.”