Pubdate: Wed, 12 Aug 2009
Source: Daily Telegraph (UK)
Copyright: 2009 Telegraph Group Limited
Contact:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/114
Author: Tom Whitehead

LEGAL HIGH SPICE TO BE BANNED

A legal "high" known as Spice that is stronger than  cannabis is to 
be banned after advice from the  Government's drug advisers.

The herbal mix mimics the effect of cannabis and  pouches are widely 
sold on the internet and in  so-called "head shops" for around UKP20.

But the Home Office is now set to act after the  Advisory Council on 
the Misuse of Drugs said it should  be banned.

A formal decision will be made by the end of the month  but Alan 
Johnson, the Home Secretary, is expected to  make the substance Class 
B alongside cannabis.

He will also announce the control of the legal party  drug, GBL, that 
killed a medical student.

There has been mounting pressure on the Home Office  since Hester 
Stewart, 21, died after taking GBL in  Brighton earlier this year and 
the Home Office will  look to grade GBL as a Class C drug if 
developed for  human use but will allow the chemical to still be 
used  in industry, under tight controls.

Spice is sold under brands such as Spice Silver, Spice  Gold, Spice 
Diamond and Spice Yucatan Fire - prices are  similar to cannabis.

Professor David Nutt, chairman of the ACMD, said:  "Spice and other 
synthetic cannabinoid products are  being sold legally as harmless 
'herbal legal highs'.

"However, the herbal content is coated in one or more  dangerous 
chemical compounds that mimic the effects of  cannabis.

"These are not harmless herbal alternatives and have  been found to 
cause paranoia and panic attacks."

A Home Office spokesman said: "We are determined to  crack down on 
those so-called 'legal highs' that pose a  significant health risk. "
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom