Dealers of legal highs should be charged with manslaughter

Northern Ireland’s senior coroner, John Leckey, has called for a change in the law to allow dealers who sell legal highs to be charged with manslaughter if a person dies after consuming them.

This follows the death of Alice Devlin, a Dungannon teenager, after taking a legal high. Maurice Morrow, Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA, said: “It would be an extremely hard individual who was unmoved by the harrowing story of Alice Devlin, who died after taking a synthetic form of what was thought to be ecstasy. But unmoved is exactly what drug dealers are, for their only concern is where they are going to find someone to fill the void created by the loss of a customer. They are dealing out death.”

Mr Maurice added that anyone anyone who fails to report something they know about this tragic incident, or about any similar incident, is allowing a killer to continue plying his or her vile trade. He called this “a travesty to Alice’s memory.”

Mr Morrow went on to say that 20 people in Northern Ireland died after taking a drug known as speckled cherries. Those who sold the drugs are still free to sell legal highs.

Legal highs are never sold for human consumption. They are often sold as plant food, research chemicals or bath salts; therefore, it is argued that any person buying them is knowingly taking a substance that is not for human consumption.

In response to this, Mr Morrow said: “And whilst I fully understand persons who choose to take illegal drugs do so of their own free will, I remain disturbed at the potential belief that a so-called ‘legal high’ will not do harm. This is a gross and dangerous misconception.” He added that dealers are smart enough to realise that they can manipulate their customers to get a sale.

Legal highs are destroying lives and killing young people who do not understand the dangers. If dealers were held accountable, perhaps they would think twice about selling the drugs.