Legal high trade will go online after ban, warns lawyer

A senior solicitor has warned users of so-called legal highs will turn to the internet when a proposed ban comes into effect.

Robin Beattie of Thorntons said it is unclear if the ban will work or if users will go “underground” to obtain them.

The Queen’s Speech outlined plans for new laws which will make it an offence to produce, supply, import or export new psychoactive substances.

The maximum penalty for anyone caught would be seven years in prison.

The Republic of Ireland imposed a similar ban in 2010 and legal highs shops have since virtually disappeared from the country’s high streets.

Mr Beattie said legal highs are generally designed to ensure they fall outside the remit of the Misuse of Drugs Act, whilst mimicking illegal drugs.

He said: “Legal highs are currently readily available on the high street or over the internet. Many people purchasing legal highs do not know what they are actually buying, and what ingredients are contained in them. Purely because they are sold as being ‘legal highs’ does not guarantee the contents of the product are actually legal.”

The newly proposed Psychoactive Substances Bill could see more than 450 high street shops across Britain face closure – including Perth legal high shop This N That, which has been criticised by politicians and the public in the past.

Mr Beattie added: “Their definition of psychoactive substances is basically any substance intended for human consumption that is capable of producing a psychoactive effect.

“This definition is so broad that the Bill has to specifically exclude legitimate psychoactive substances including coffee, alcohol and cigarettes.