Legal high sellers warned

Photo: Darren Robinson

POLICE visited legal-highs; sellers all over Greater Manchester

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OLDHAM sellers of “legal highs” were targeted yesterday in a force-wide crackdown.

Operation Ramsey was the first of its kind for GMP, responding to concerns over the supply of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS). The drugs have the same or similar effects to drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy, but are not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Shops in Chadderton, Oldham, Shaw and Failsworth were targeted as a team of officers spoke to traders.

We went with officers to Nirvana in Fountain Street, where a previously banned substance “Go Gaine” was seized for testing despite the owner’s claim it was a new, legal compound. We then visited two premises in Chadderton, Best-One Xpress on Drury Lane and Premier Store in Turf Lane, where officers informed them of changes to the law coming next year.

Side-effects can include heart palpitations, vomiting, dizziness, fainting, panic attacks and psychosis. They are often designed to mimic class A drugs, but are sufficiently chemically different to avoid classification as illegal substances. Some legal highs contain banned substances; it is also unlawful to sell them to under-18s.

Last week, five people were hospitalised in Bury after an adverse reaction to the drug “Spice”.

Supt Craig Thompson said: “There are growing concerns and we’ve seen a number of young people hospitalised. Just because these substances are legal doesn’t mean they are safe. Don’t play Russian Roulette with your life.”

More than 150 officers went to over 100 premises across Greater Manchester.

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