Police officers patrolling Northampton town centre to tackle the issues of legal highs found cannabis in a shop on the Market Square.
Police in Northampton have been working hard to tackle the issue of legal highs in the town centre, including the associated anti-social behaviour which often takes place close to wherever they are sold.
Officers have been patrolling the Drapery and adjoining alleyways on a regular basis, in the vicinity of a shop which is known to sell legal highs.
They have also been acting on local intelligence, and this week conducted a warrant at a shop in Market Square. Psychoactive substances (legal highs) were seized, along with a quantity of cannabis. One person received a police caution.
Town centre Sergeant, Simon Pinchin, said: “The issue of legal highs is now a big issue for town centre policing and is taking up a disproportionate amount of our time.
“It would appear that some shopkeepers see easy pickings from their sale and the huge profits they generate.
“There were 68 fatalities from legal highs in the UK in 2012, and my feeling is that it’s only a matter of time before somebody gets seriously ill from ingesting them in Northampton.
“I urge people to take notice – they carry serious health risks; the chemicals they contain have in most cases never been used in drugs for human consumption and haven’t been safety tested.
“Users can never be certain what they are taking and what the effects might be.”
Last week Police and Crime Commissioner Adam Simmonds said that legal highs should be a matter of concern for everyone.
Speaking at a conference organised to address the issue, he called for a new legislative framework flexible enough to adapt to changes in substances and chemical compounds.
He said: “There is a need for better education, probation and enforcement, and I call for clarity from the Government on the issue of drugs. We need a new drug policy fit for the twenty-first century.”
Cannabis seized from shop in Northampton town centre during police crackdown on legal highs
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