Legal highs: Psychoactive drugs policy 'rushed', say MPs

Legislation to ban new psychoactive substances in the UK is being rushed, MPs have warned.

The Home Affairs Committee said ministers were not working properly with their own expert drug advisers.

The MPs also said past governments' spending on education about the dangers of so-called legal highs had been "shockingly inadequate to date".

Policing minister Mike Penning said the government would consider the committee's criticism.

New psychoactive substances (NPS) are products chemically designed to mimic drugs that are already banned. Some 67 deaths in England and Wales last year were linked to their use.

Blanket ban

The substances have been typically known as "legal highs", but in most cases they had only remained lawful because there had been no scientific testing and advice leading to a ban.

One hundred new NPS products were identified across the EU last year and legislation going through Parliament will create a blanket ban on...

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