Shropshire Star

Legal high ban, one year on

For Charlotte Delo, it is the fruit of a long and hard-fought campaign, and a fitting tribute to her brother who died three years ago.

Published
Campaigner Charlotte Delo and husband Delwyn hold a picture of Charlotte's brother Jamie Penn, who died after taking a so-called legal high

It is 12 months since the Psychoactive Substances Act came into force, effectively banning all mind-altering substances previously known as "legal highs".

Since the ban was imposed, West Mercia Police has issued one caution, to a man in Worcester. But in the neighbouring West Midlands force 22 people have been arrested in connection with the production, supply, or intent to supply the drugs.

Critics of the ban, though, say the drug continues to be a major problem, and that the ban has simply driven the supply of the drug underground, into the hands of criminal gangs.

There have been reports of an epidemic of synthetic cannabis use, both among the homeless and in prisons. Last month a homeless man in Birmingham died after smoking a form of synthetic cannabis known as Black Mamba.

Before the ban, Black Mamba had been freely available in the shops, including a stall on Wellington market. But since the ban, supply of the drug is punishable by up to seven years in jail.

Mrs Delo, who became a vocal campaigner for the ban following the death of her brother Jamie Penn three years ago, said the drugs were being supplied on the black market before the ban.

Mr Penn, a trainee bricklayer from Hadley in Telford, died three years ago on Wednesday, after buying the then-legal drug 4,4-DMAR from a woman in Shrewsbury. The 29-year-old had already taken ecstasy, and the two drugs reacted causing a violent death.

"It was already underground," says Mrs Delo, who also lives in Hadley. "My brother didn't buy his from a shop in a nice shiny packet, did he?"

She says the ban has made an important difference in alerting people to the dangers of the drug.

"People are more aware now," says Mrs Delo.

"You see it on the web, and on Facebook, whether it's people who were taking the drugs before or not.

"They all say they didn't realise how dangerous they were. They know now, and I think that is because of the ban. When people talked about 'legal highs', they thought because they were legal they must be ok.

"Now people know that they are not ok."

Mrs Delo believes reports of an epidemic among the homeless and in prisons are largely down to the fact that people are more aware of what is happening.

"It's because people are talking about them now, there's greater awareness, there are more people getting help, and that's a good thing," she says.

"It's rife in prisons, I know that. It's always going to be, it's just like any other drug.

"It's made a difference, I can tell that from my own experience talking to people.

"People all over the UK are doing courses to get off these drugs, and they wouldn't be doing that if they hadn't been banned."