Scotland’s first co-ordinated crackdown on “legal highs” has seen tens of thousands of pounds worth of lethal substances seized from unscrupulous retailers.
The Sunday Herald has been given exclusive access to a targeted five-day operation aimed at ridding the streets of these toxic chemicals which produce similar effects to illegal drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, cannabis and LSD when consumed.
Officially known as new psychoactive substances (NPS), they are created in overseas labs, shipped to Scotland and openly sold in high street shops for pocket money prices.
They are killing a growing number of people but the authorities have struggled to get to grips with the problem because most NPS are not covered by the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Meanwhile, retailers who make huge profit from sales turn a blind eye to the impact or point to packaging which states ‘not for human consumption’.
A campaign codenamed Operation Alexander launched by trading standards officials on December 14 saw 53 shops raided across 19 local authorities.
By Friday December 18 officials had seized 7,323 products worth £146,460 which would have otherwise been swallowed, smoked, inhaled or injected.
The action was taken under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 because trading standards officials “reasonably suspected” that NPS fail the general safety requirement for consumer products.
There is mounting evidence that demonstrates the harm that these products can cause to people who consume them for their psychoactive effects.
Between 2009 and 2013, a total of 203 deaths were reported where NPS was present in the bloodstream, often along with a cocktail of other substances.
Despite an overall fall in the number of drug-related deaths, the number of NPS-related fatalities more than doubled between 2012 and 2013, from 47 to 113.
Last week’s crackdown was funded by the Scottish Government and co-ordinated by Trading Standards Scotland and SCOTSS (the Society of Chief Officers for Trading Standards in Scotland).
Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Herald about Operation Alexander, Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs, Paul Wheelhouse, said: “The number of adults reporting drug use is continuing to fall while drug taking among young people is at its lowest level in a decade.
“This news is to be welcomed, however, there is still a persistent minority of people who continue to purchase and consume New Psychoactive Substance, often misleadingly referred to as legal highs.
“We are currently working closely with the UK Government on the detail of the UK-wide Psychoactive Substances Bill due to be introduced next year which will make it illegal to sell any kind of NPS.
“However it is vital that we continue to do all we can to tackle this issue in the meantime to ensure those who are at risk of harms caused by NPS are protected.
“That is why we are determined to support initiatives that stamp out the sale of these harmful substances and protect consumers and I am extremely grateful to Scottish Trading Standards Services for the work they have undertaken to date and am very encouraged to hear about the co-ordinated joint activity that is being taken forward.”
The five-day operation saw officials raid retailers in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Dundee, Falkirk, Glasgow, Perth and Stirling.
Premises in Angus, Fife, the Lothians, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and the Highlands were also targeted.
Chief Officer of Trading Standards Scotland, Fiona Richardson, is hopeful that Scotland’s first co-ordinated crackdown will set a benchmark for similar operations in future.
She said: “This issue has been deemed a national priority and our officers have been working closely with the Scottish Government to remove barriers that may hinder successful enforcement actions. It reinforces the message that unsafe products are not legal.
“We will collate the findings from the project to allow the Scottish Government to have a clearer picture of the remaining market for NPS when a full ban comes in next year.
“The operation will also allow us to share best practice and intelligence across Trading Standards Services and with partners such as Police Scotland and the Home Office’s Forensic Early Warning System”.
Chair of SCOTSS, Gordon Robb, said local authorities were keen to assist with Operation Alexander.
“They embraced this opportunity to implement co-ordinated action against the sellers of NPS throughout Scotland,” he said.
“The safety of consumers is our foremost consideration, and we also welcome liaison with our partners such as Trading Standards Scotland, Police Scotland and the Scottish Government in the fight against this scourge on our local communities.
“We will continue to take robust enforcement action against the suppliers of unsafe products such as NPS, as and when local intelligence determines the need and the constraints under which we operate make it possible.”
Officers from Police Scotland were also involved in the operation.
A spokesman for the force said: “Offering our assistance with the visits undertaken by Trading Standards is just one aspect of our strategy to help them remove these dangerous substances from communities across Scotland.
“We will continue to work closely with Trading Standards and other key partners as we approach the introduction of legislation which provides a more appropriate means for tackling the issues surrounding the production and supply of new psychoactive substances in Scotland.”
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