An Arbroath councillor has said “cool heads” must prevail in the row over the town’s legal highs shops.
David Fairweather said he was disappointed with comments by Arbroath Community Council which urged retailers to join forces to drive the shops out of town.
The organisation is working with Arbroath and Area Partnership, and it plans to bring the issue forward to the next meeting of the Arbroath Town Centre Retailers’ Association.
Last weekend, about 80 people took part in a protest outside Misty Heaven on Fisheracre, which has opened just yards from St Andrew’s Church’s addiction support centre.
It is the second legal highs shop to open in Arbroath with Declaration already established on the town’s Brothock Bridge.
The Rev Martin Fair of St Andrew’s said they hoped the protest would bring enough pressure to bear so that Misty Heaven and similar shops were “banished” from Arbroath.
Mr Fairweather believes the shops should be licensed but until they are he has reiterated that they are “legitimate businesses” and has called for calm.
He said: “Whilst in no way condoning these businesses, and being on two licensing committees myself and my own record of virtual zero tolerance to drugs, I found the tone of ‘driving’ what are, at present, legitimate businesses out of town inflammatory.
“Saying that a community force is being organised to rally behind a drive to remove retailers is not called for, is irresponsible and could lead to bad feeling and confrontation, with these shops going out of business without the right of reply.
“It is understandable that the church, who do an excellent job with Havilah, are upset and have raised their concerns with myself and other councillors about this type of shop.
“It must be said everyone is entitled to their own opinion as we do live in a democracy.
“It is the Scottish Government who will decide if these type of shops need to be licensed and personally I believe they should. At present these businesses will be as any other the subject of scrutiny by the council’s trading standards officers as well as the police who have the power to act on anything suspicious.”
Mr Fairweather said the way forward is through “constructive dialogue” by all parties including the community and local church.
He said: “It is time for cool heads to address this and I am more than willing to set up meetings between the shops, community groups and the church to discuss a way forward.”
Last week it was revealed the UK has the largest market for legal highs in the EU and nearly 700,000 Britons aged 16-24 have experimented with one form or another.