Angelus, the only UK charity dedicated to raising awareness of the risks from ‘legal highs’, has achieved its goal of a ban on their sale. The Psychoactive Substances Act has come into force, and will ‘demolish’ the high street trade in ‘legal highs’.
The legal change will radically disrupt the new psychoactive substances market and reduce harms to young people. Angelus has also made clear the law alone is not enough; proper drugs education is vital to alert young people to the risks of taking these substances.
Angelus has campaigned for seven years against the open sale of ‘legal highs’ and is thankful for the government taking such decisive action. However, the government has spent no money raising public awareness, neither about the new law nor more generally on drugs education in schools. It has fallen to Angelus to produce its own education films exposing the dangers of these substances.
The latest film, Drug News – Legal Highs to Be Banned (https://www.youtube.com/wa=BmFni0PjwNs), which was recently launched, highlights the potential harms to young people as well as the legal change.
Angelus Founder, Maryon Stewart, said, ‘It has taken seven long years of hard work and today represents a real milestone for Angelus. We are still lobbying government to fund awareness campaigns that will prevent young people being harmed or dying needlessly like my daughter, Hester. I am immensely proud of Team Angelus who have battled against bureaucratic forces and those who would not see what a danger these substances pose.
‘We now expect the high street headshop trade to be demolished. These shops have been pushing untested and often addictive substances for huge financial gain. It is a pernicious trade preying on people’s vulnerability. Thankfully it is over for them – we can now move forwards with more young people safe from the harms of ‘legal highs’. While it won’t give me back my beautiful, talented 21-year-old daughter, it is a comfort to know that other children will remain well and lives will be saved.’
