Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Police warning to public after theft of "Legal Highs" in Nairn

Northern Constabulary Press Release: "Police are appealing for information and warning the public after a premises in Nairn, known to sell ‘legal highs’, had large quantities taken from within.
Shortly before midnight on Sunday 09 December 2012, a premises on High Street, Nairn was broken into and a substantial quantity of packets containing 'legal highs' stolen.
Northern Constabulary are concerned that these substances are now in circulation and request that should any person find or come across any such substance that they hand it into their nearest police station.
Detective Inspector Brian MacKay said: "The dangers of these so-called 'legal highs' are unknown and mixing them with another drug or alcohol, can result in even more severe consequences.

"These substances can be professionally packaged and branded, but this doesn't remove the substantial risk to health.

"We would strongly advise anyone against consuming any psychoactive substances and would urge anyone suffering from adverse effects to seek immediate medical attention."

Despite the fact that these substances are marketed as 'legal highs' they still carry warnings which state they are not for human consumption.

Police and health officials are keen to remind people about the dangers involved in taking substances and specifically, the risks associated with 'legal highs'. Anyone who comes into possession of these substances simply does not know what they contain and the adverse effect they may have when taken alone or in conjunction with other substances.

Police are also asking for anyone with information regarding this incident to call 0845 600 5703 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111"

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

As the headline below says 'try something different'

Graisg said...

@Neil The definition of legal highs? a strange one. The unknown stuff that does god knows what to your body or booze and baccy or even the stuff from the Doctor to help through a bad patch. One way or another our society uses quite a lot of drugs.

@ Laughing Polisman I take your point but it wouldn't be a good idea to publish.

@ other anons I understand that there are very strong feelings about this shop but remember that the law is there to protect everyone, even those that do something that we might not support on moral grounds. The law might not look effective at times and can take a long time to adapt to new times and "products" but it is our final defence against mayhem and we must respect it. If you do not wish to see this type of shop then time to get onto your elected politicians.

Legal or illegal there are plenty of drugs in our society. Perhaps a time to examine why so many people like to get off their face to an extent that damages their bodies.
Time perhaps too to consider the debate around the legalisation of drugs. Would it not be better for the state to sell the substances/take a tax cut from illegal drugs. After all they will still be sold even if illegal.

Highest bidder said...

Without getting emotive.

Legal highs tend to be made from a range of drugs, chemicals, and substances that are not illegal to sell.

They are often advertised as not for human consumption so they're not tested in terms of what they contain, and how harmful they might be if consumed. Therefore they do not fall under any food standards legislation for example

They are legal so you can't be charged with possession unlike illegal drugs (unless of course they've been stolen!)

The effects of these legal highs are often completely unknown in terms of short/long term use, including both mental and physical health.

More worrying is that health professionals are in the dark so if you do fall ill they'll be best guessing how to treat you and remember the results can be fatal

Illegal highs have been used for centuries in many cases and their effects are well documented

They too are not regulated in anyway in terms of content, purity etc so you never know what you're buying (Ironically is some cases it has been drugs that are too pure that often cause fatalities)

They are illegal and you might expect a criminal record, fine, or a jail sentence for possession. Some countries may not allow you to visit with such a record so visit Disney Land in the US beforehand!

You have your choices - Merry Christmas and stay safe

Anonymous said...

Here's a theory:
Perhaps whoever stole them has no intentions of using them / selling them on
Perhaps they just wanted to dispose of them so that youngsters don't get their hands on them

Obviously the shopkeeper could replenish his stocks - but this break-in might make him think again?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Here's a theory:
Perhaps whoever stole them has no intentions of using them / selling them on
Perhaps they just wanted to dispose of them so that youngsters don't get their hands on them

Obviously the shopkeeper could replenish his stocks - but this break-in might make him think again
12:21 PM

so what you are saying is there might be a masked vigilante roaming the streets of Nairn

Graisg said...

Who said anything about a mask? But then again once someone has broken into a fancy dress shop they would be been spoilt for choice when it came to a getaway disguise.

Upstanding Pillar said...

Some good points made by Highest Bidder. Illegal drugs and their effects are well researched and documented, plenty of information is available to weigh up the risks and make an informed choice. This is not the case for legal highs. However legal highs have several advantages in that you won't get involved in a brush with the law, won't get involved with the criminal fraternity whilst sourcing them, won't get sacked for failing an employer's drug test, and they are much easier to get hold of ! I suspect most legal high users would prefer the illegal alternative were the above not taken into consideration.
People have taken legal and illegal highs since the dawn of time, maybe it's time to have a sensible debate about some form of decriminalisation and regulation. But before that happens wider society needs to realise that not all users are "victims" or "abusers" in the same way that having a few drinks does not make you an alcoholic. You can be a professional person, be fit and active and/or a responsible parent and also a user of illegal or legal highs - they are not mutually exclusive - and not all users want to get "off their face" - this is an unhelpful stereotype.