A Perth pensioner who is trying to remove legal high shops from the city says she wants to alert residents to the seriousness of the situation.
Maggie Gordon, 76, is a member of EPICS (Encouraging Positive Involvement for Carer Support), a group consisting mainly of carers for people who misuse substances.
She claims the authorities in Perth are not doing enough to help those taking substances, and says she is aware of at least one person who has died after taking legal highs.
Ms Gordon said she is aware of many other people taking them and knows only too well the suffering this can have on their families and friends.
She said: “In Perth, they don’t want to know. People don’t want to know about the problem, discuss the problem and it tends to get swept under the carpet.
“We need a drop-in centre in Perth where users can go and find out just how dangerous the substances they are taking can be. They can also go there and get the help they so desperately need.
“They have them in other towns and cities but there is nothing in Perth. The help and support just isn’t there for substance misusers.”
Ms Gordon and other carers are planning a regular series of protests outside two shops in Perth, which allegedly sell legal highs. A previous gathering outside both premises proved a success, with many people keen to sign the anti-legal high shop petitions.
She added: “As we believe legal highs are extremely harmful we intend to keep protesting regularly. This ensures we keep our campaign in the public eye and garner more support.
“Hopefully, it will drive home the message that these places are causing real harm in Perth.
“We had good turnouts at the protests and, hopefully, that will continue to be the case.
“We need to alert people to the dangers.
“As long as people keep taking legal highs, they will have problems as some of them mix the highs up with other substances, and that has the probability of disaster.
“We must get the message out there that legal highs are dangerous very dangerous.”