National action on legal highs has been welcomed as “a sign” that the authorities are taking action on a growing threat.
NHS Tayside launched a survey yesterday on behalf of the Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships to improve understanding about the use or abuse of new psychoactive substances (NPS).
Hundreds of residents in Montrose and Arbroath have joined protest groups against the spread of a “legalised drug culture”, focusing on the county’s head shops.
These groups have welcomed the study.
Father-of-two Derek Wann, from Arbroath Against Legal Highs, hailed a “positive move” by the NHS.
He said: “I am all for making people aware of the effects of these awful substances and fully believe that education is the way forward.
“We can try and ban these substances from our high street shops, but as we all know they can be easily obtained over the web.”
A spokeswoman for the Montrose Against Legal Highs group said the survey shows “the growing problem of legal highs can’t be ignored”.
“This is a sign that the authorities are taking on board all of our concerns,” she said.
The online questionnaire has been designed to learn more about people’s experiences and views about NPS in a bid to identify issues of those who either take the substances themselves or are affected by others’ use.
Results from the survey will also help to make improvements to the assistance and support offered to people affected by the use of ‘legal highs’.
Concerns over the trade of legal highs in Angus were taken to Scotland’s top policeman last week.
And Police Scotland’s Chief Constable Sir Stephen House was visited by local MSP Nigel Don, who told a meeting of top politicians, and Sir Stephen’s four deputy constables, how his alarm has not abated.
The catalyst for Mr Don’s words was the recent reopening of a store in Montrose, which he said is selling “dangerous psychoactive substances”.
A spokesman for Police Scotland said Sir Stephen is taking the issue “very seriously” in a Scottish context despite legislation being some way off.
In Scotland in 2012 there were 47 drug deaths where new psychoactive substances or ‘legal highs’ were found to be present. In 32 of these deaths NPS was a potential contributor to death.