Legal highs may be banned completely, says home secretary

Legal high drugs may face a blanket ban as part of a new crackdown initiative by the government.

In a recent interview, Theresa May, the home secretary, claimed that a total ban on the drugs is one of two major changes under review by the government. A blanket ban on legal highs is already in effect in Ireland. The second change being considered is banning a substance based on the effect it has on the human brain rather than on the ingredients it contains, as the chemicals used in legal highs are often altered to ensure they remain legal.

Ms May said: “The problem is we can ban a substance and the people making it slightly tweak the compound, and because we have banned that compound the next set is not covered by that ban, so we are looking at a different approach based on the impact they have on the brain rather than the make-up of the substance.”

The news of the possibility of a blanket ban has been well received in Portsmouth, where parents and local councillors, concerned about the effects of the drugs’ use, have been campaigning for laws surrounding legal highs to be tightened up. UKIP councillor Paul Godier said: “Obviously it’s great news the government is looking at these things and it seems like it is being proactive.”