Legal highs ban comes into force across the UK

Image copyright PA

A blanket ban on so-called legal highs has come into force in the UK.

Laws criminalising the production, distribution, sale and supply of what are otherwise known as new psychoactive substances began at midnight.

The chemicals, sold under names such as spice and black mamba, are designed to give users the same effect as drugs such as cannabis and cocaine.

Last year legal highs were linked to more than 100 deaths in the UK and a rise in violent assaults in prison.

Offenders who break the new laws will face up to seven years in prison under the Psychoactive Substances Act.

Police will also be able to shut down "headshops" - stores which sells drug paraphernalia - and online dealers in the UK.

'Intense scrutiny'

They will have powers to seize and destroy psychoactive substances, as well as carry out searches of people, premises and vehicles.

If a person is found to be in possession of a psychoactive substance in prison, they could now face having up to two years added to their sentence.

The legislation has come under intense scrutiny since it was first proposed by the government last year.

It had been widely expected that the measures would be rolled out in April but the start date was pushed back.

What are legal highs?

Analysis

BBC home affairs editor Mark Easton

Conservatives are usually opposed to the "nanny state" slapping draconian new rules on business or banning things that experts think might damage your health.

But today the government's delayed Psychoactive Substances Act comes into force, introducing powers over what consumers can consume that are as radical and far-reaching as any such legislation ever.

The intention is to solve the UK's problems with "legal highs" - chemical products not covered by existing legislation that are causing some health and social problems.

Read more from Mark

Ahead of the ban, a survey by the YMCA suggested that while overall usage is likely to decrease, around two-thirds of young people who currently take the drugs are likely to continue using them in the future.

Simon Blackburn, of the Local Government Association, said legal highs were a "scourge on society and shatter lives".

He added the new blanket ban "should help to reduce anti-social behaviour" linked to their use.

"Councils have made every effort to crack down on these substances and the unscrupulous traders selling them, which has seen so-called 'head shops' closed down, intoxicating substances seized, on-the-spot fines issued and successful prosecutions.

"However, this work relied on laws designed for very different purposes, making it much harder for councils and the police to tackle the problem."

'Unintended consequences'

Edmund Smyth, criminal lawyer at Kingsley Napley, said police "have ever-more stretched resources so questions remain about their ability to enforce the new regime effectively".

He added: "Many have criticised this act in draft stages - it may prove to be a sledgehammer to crack a nut and have unintended consequences. But it is here and carries serious consequences for those who fall foul of the new law."

There have been warnings that the ban could also drive dealers on to the so-called "dark web" - a largely untraceable area of the internet which does not show up on traditional search engines and has been used by criminal gangs who trade in drugs, guns and forged documents.

The ban comes into force a day after the owner of a shop selling legal highs and a shop worker were arrested in Greater Manchester after nine people fell ill after taking substances.

The legal highs now illegal

Some of the legal highs which have hit the headlines in recent years include:

• Spice - Replicating the doping effect of cannabis, spice is one of the brands which has gained notoriety following reports of its widespread use in prisons. It comes as a smoking mix and has been known to cause paranoia, delirious ranting and hallucinations. Similar drugs go by the names black mamba and annihilation
• Laughing gas - Otherwise known as nitrous oxide, laughing gas comes in canisters and is used recreationally after being inhaled, often out of balloons. It gives users a light-headed, euphoric feeling that lasts for several seconds, but, due to it depriving the body of oxygen, can be fatal when taken in excess
• Salvia - Unlike other synthetic legal highs, salvia comes from a plant. It is still sold in many so-called headshops, but only on the proviso that it is not marketed for human consumption. When smoked or chewed, it can create a hallucinogenic experience
• Mephedrone - The drug which also goes by the name "mcat" and "meow meow" shot into the public spotlight in 2010 following a string of deaths. It mimics the effects of many amphetamines such as speed and MDMA, providing similar feelings of elation, but with a potentially deadly impact on the heart and central nervous system. It was outlawed within months and is currently a class B drug