War on drugs? It might be more sensible to legalise them

ON THE surface at least, closing 'legal high' shops in Plymouth seems a victory for common sense.

The unregulated sale of 'new psychoactive substances', the long-term effects of which are largely unknown, is clearly a public health issue.

However, the proposed legislation to ban these substances – the Pyschoactive Substances Bill 2015 – highlights just how schizophrenic the UK's drug laws really are.

The Bill, currently being scrutinised by the House of Lords, defines a 'psychoactive substance' as anything capable of affecting a person's emotional state.

 

Such a description covers alcohol, nicotine and caffeine – but fortunately for all us chain-smokers who can't function properly in the morning until we've have had our fifth cup of coffee, and those who like a bottle of Chardonnay after work, these substances are exempted. So is "any substance normally consumed as food" – which presumably covers sugar, salt, fats, chocolate and a...

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URL: 
http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/War-drugs-sensible-legalise/story-26793301-detail/story.html#1