Even hardened drug users are “frightened” of using so-called legal highs, according to one of Dundee’s most senior police officers.
Chief Inspector David McIntosh said he had spoken with regular drug users who were terrified of using legal highs because of the “awful affect it can have on them”.
The senior policeman added there had been an increase in the number of people suffering injuries and infections from injecting legal highs, particularly given their ingredients are often unknown to users.
He told a meeting of the council’s policy and resources committee: “I have spoken with a number of drug users and they are frightened of using these substances because of the awful effect it can have on them.
“We are also seeing more injuries and septic wounds from injecting legal highs.”
His comments were echoed by Chief Inspector Gary Ogilvie, who said police were trying to build a picture of legal high abuse in the city.
He said: “We are visiting legal high shops on a daily basis and people going in and out of these shops are being regularly intercepted by police.
“We want to know what it is people believe they are taking and if they are aware of the effects what they are taking will have on them.
“We are trying to build a clear picture in Tayside of the extent of this problem.”
Before the committee was a report from Chief Superintendent Eddie Smith stating there had been a marked increase in the number of people in Dundee using legal highs, or NPS New Psychoactive Substances.
“Legislation to assist officers in the apprehension of offenders remains limited however,” said Ch Supt Smith.
“Work is ongoing to educate the community and to target premises within Dundee selling these substances.
“The problem is that no one knows what is in these legal highs and before we can describe something as a controlled drug we have to know what it is.
“We are discovering that some of the legal highs we are recovering do have controlled drugs in them.”