Government To Introduce Controls On Headshops
Regulations will be drafted this month to introduce controls on a range of the substances that are currently on sale in headshops, according to local Fianna Fáil TD Niall Blaney. 23/02/10Headshops are an issue of serious concern for the Government and an inter-departmental approach has being taken to identify what options are available. It is hoped that new legislation to regulate the area will be introduced by the summer, he said.
“The Government appointed a Research Advisory Group to advise them on the best approach to take in relation to headshops. The group is made up of representatives from the National Advisory Committee on Drugs, the Departments of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Health and Children, the Health Research Board, Revenue Customs Service, the Forensic State Laboratory and other relevant stakeholders.”
“The Minister for Health, Mary Harney TD, and the Minister with Responsibility for Drugs Strategy, John Curran TD, have both been very clear in relation to their concern about headshops. They are both concerned about the growing presence of the shops and the products they sell, and they are working towards the most appropriate and comprehensive response to counter the potential threats of these shops.”
“Minister Curran said that he does not want to see the types of products sold by headshops available to buy in Ireland. He said they pose an unnecessary risk.”
“There is no doubt that there is a growing problem with these shops, and we may not know the true damage they are doing for some years.”
“As a parent, it is worrying to think that young children can walk into a headshop and buy these products with ease and with no knowledge of the potential dangers, as the ‘legal’ tag insinuates that the product is safe.”
“Awareness must continue to be raised about the dangers these substances pose to people’s health and I welcome the comments by health professionals recently about their experiences treating patients who have had side effects from using them. Young people should not be led to believe that they are harmless alternatives to illegal drugs,” concluded Niall Blaney TD.
