Perthshire traders dealing in deadly synthetic drugs and so-called legal highs could soon be run out of town.
An extensive dossier detailing high street sales of controversial new psychoactive substances (NPS) has been passed to police, The Courier can reveal.
The audit has been drawn up by NHS Tayside on behalf of the region’s alcohol and drugs partnership and is based on interviews with 135 residents who have admitted experimenting with the uncontrolled drugs.
It found the majority of users are teenagers aged from 16 to 18 and that they first bought the substances from a “head” shop in the city centre.
Now, landlords could be made to take more responsibility for their tenants if they are known to be selling the goods, which do not as yet come under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Perth councillor Peter Barrett, who is a member of the Consumer Protection Task Group for Scotland, is calling for a zero-tolerance approach to legal high suppliers, similar to a successful police strategy in Ireland. His call for action is shared by the UK Government’s Home Office, which has recommended a ban on psychoactive substances in a new report.
Mr Barrett said yesterday: “The findings of the audit give serious cause for concern, particularly for the safety of young and potentially vulnerable young people.
“The irresponsibility of those operating so-called head shops is highlighted by these findings. We must have a more proactive response from the council and the police.”
Full details of the report, which has been submitted to police chiefs and the local community safety partnership, are expected to be published this week.
Mr Barrett said Perthshire needs to follow the example of police in Ireland, who have managed to achieve a dramatic reduction in head shop numbers.
“In Ireland Gardai visited the owners of shops rented out to head shop tenants,” he said.
“They spelled out exactly what these shops were selling and who their customers are, so that the landlord was in no doubt about the nature of the business being conducted in their premises.
“The results of the audit indicate that we should follow this course of action in order to protect vulnerable young people.”
Mr Barrett said the new report gives weight to the argument for a tougher stance on NPS sales. “A high street presence lends legitimacy to these businesses,” he said.
“The sale of NPS over the counter in our city centre gives a false reassurance to first-time users.
“The truth is that sellers hide behind a pretence that the products are ‘not for human use or consumption’ when the exact opposite is true.”
The survey was launched in an effort to get a better understanding about the use of psychoactive substances.
Participants were asked about how often they take legal highs, where they purchase them from and if they have suffered any ill effects or feel they would benefit from getting help to stop using them.
It is known that three people have been treated this year at Perth Royal Infirmary after overdosing on the substances.
In the summer, police raided shops in Perth, as well as Arbroath and Montrose, in a high-profile crackdown on legal high sales.
The force’s Operation Carinate was the result of a partnership with trading standards officers, health boards and drug agencies.
A total of 58 shops and other businesses, from Peterhead in the north-east to Ayr in the south, were searched by officers.
Police have warned that legal highs can, in fact, contain chemicals which can be extremely harmful.
There were 113 deaths in 2013 in Scotland where NPS were present, compared with 47 in 2012.
A force spokeswoman said the NHS Tayside audit had been received and was being considered.