Upgrade spice says crime commissioner

VIDEO: Alison Hernandez says the public is dealing with consequences

Drugs that used to be called legal highs, but were outlawed two years ago could be upgraded further, if Devon’s police and crime commissioner gets her way.

Alison Hernandez has added her voice to increasing clamours to make spice and other synthetic substances Class A drugs. That would put them in the same league as heroin and cocaine, rather than cannabis, which is thought to be less harmful. 

There have been some claims that synthetic drugs have become more dangerous since they were made illegal. Ms. Hernandez says the NHS, prisons and the public are having to deal with the consequences of such products.

Use of synthetic substances has risen dramatically since 2014, and so have deaths. Office of National Statistics' figures show that from 1993 to 2014 there were three deaths linked to consumption of synthetic cannabinoids while between 2015 and 2017 there were 59. 

Ms. Hernandez says: “We have seen a huge increase in the use of synthetic cannabinoid substances like Spice across Devon and Cornwall in recent years. It is becoming a growing concern for our communities – we’re not getting to the bottom of why people are taking these substances or giving them adequate support to get off them and in the meantime our police force, the NHS, our prisons and the public are having to deal with the consequences. We need to send a message that taking and dealing Spice is totally unacceptable.”

You can watch her message below (provided by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Devon and Cornwall)