Midlothian MP welcomes ban on ‘Legal Highs’

Tuesday October 20th 2015

Owen Thompson Midlothian MP Profile

Midlothian MP Owen Thompson has welcomed the proposed ban on so called ‘legal highs’ as part of a debate as the New Psychoactive Substances Bill sees its second reading in the House of Commons.

Speaking in the debate Owen Thompson highlighted the tragic death of a young man from his own constituency who died after injecting a legal high earlier this year – sparking a local campaign to close down a tobacco retailer in Dalkeith where customers can purchase a variety of chemical compounds labelled ‘not fit for human consumption’.

Welcoming the bill, the Midlothian SNP MP called on the Government to take a proactive and preventative approach in educating young people on the dangers of all drugs.

Owen Thompson said,“The bill should come into force with a robust and solid plan that focuses on educating our youngsters not just about NPS but all substances, legal or otherwise to ensure that we are not pushing people towards a path of criminal activity. To achieve this we need to educate as much as we need to legislate.”

Mr Thompson also highlighted the challenging issue in identifying which chemicals to ban whilst being aware of any unintended negative impacts on medical and scientific research.

The Bill will now be considered by the public bill committee scheduled to report by the end of October.

Tweet Share on Facebook  
 

Subscribe to the Midlothian View newsletter




Support Midlothian View from as little as £1. It only takes a minute. Thank you.

Comments are closed.