Britain has become a breeding ground for ââ¬Ålegal highââ¬Â drugs, a report by the European drug agency has found.
A record 41 new unregulated drugs were found in Europe last year and 16 were first spotted in the UK, the agency report said.
It is another sign of the popularity of legal highs in Britain, which has long been seen as a strong market for the substances.
The Daily Telegraph disclosed last year that the UK had become the European centre for mephedrone, amid fears it could be fatal. The drug, also known as miaow miaow, has since been banned but concerns emerged that dealers may have stockpiled it while it was still legal.
Yesterdayââ¬â¢s report, by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and Europol, warned that the introduction of Europe-wide controls on mephedrone brought ââ¬Åboth positive and negative consequencesââ¬Â.
While it may be harder to find and use, the control measures could also create an illegal market ââ¬Åwith the associated risk of criminal activityââ¬Â, the report said.
In a broader warning, the annual report said new drugs were becoming available at an ââ¬Åunprecedented paceââ¬Â and the emergence of legal highs was a ââ¬Åmajor feature of Europeââ¬â¢s drugs problemââ¬Â.
The 41 new substances were identified by an early warning system set up within the EU, and 16 of those were first spotted in Britain. The overall total was up substantially on the 24 new substances identified in Europe in 2009, and 13 in 2008.
Full story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...Europe-for-dabbling-with-new-legal-highs.html
A record 41 new unregulated drugs were found in Europe last year and 16 were first spotted in the UK, the agency report said.
It is another sign of the popularity of legal highs in Britain, which has long been seen as a strong market for the substances.
The Daily Telegraph disclosed last year that the UK had become the European centre for mephedrone, amid fears it could be fatal. The drug, also known as miaow miaow, has since been banned but concerns emerged that dealers may have stockpiled it while it was still legal.
Yesterdayââ¬â¢s report, by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and Europol, warned that the introduction of Europe-wide controls on mephedrone brought ââ¬Åboth positive and negative consequencesââ¬Â.
While it may be harder to find and use, the control measures could also create an illegal market ââ¬Åwith the associated risk of criminal activityââ¬Â, the report said.
In a broader warning, the annual report said new drugs were becoming available at an ââ¬Åunprecedented paceââ¬Â and the emergence of legal highs was a ââ¬Åmajor feature of Europeââ¬â¢s drugs problemââ¬Â.
The 41 new substances were identified by an early warning system set up within the EU, and 16 of those were first spotted in Britain. The overall total was up substantially on the 24 new substances identified in Europe in 2009, and 13 in 2008.
Full story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...Europe-for-dabbling-with-new-legal-highs.html
